Man from Mexico pleads guilty to illegally returning to the United States for fifth time

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Mexican national pleaded guilty Wednesday to reentering the United States illegally after having been previously removed four times.

Marco Antonio Reyes-Escutia, 42, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of reentry by an alien without permission after removal. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to the guilty plea, Sulphur police arrested Reyes-Escutia on July 10, 2017 for stealing from a local retail store. Border Patrol agents interviewed the defendant who admitted to being in the United States illegally. He was arrested and removed once in 2010, twice in 2012 and once in 2013.

Reyes-Escutia faces up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set sentencing for January 12, 2018.

United States Border Patrol and the Sulphur Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.