Austrian Man Arrested On Illegal Reentry Charge

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Yaacov Yosef Deutsch, a/k/a Jakob Deutsch, 48, of Vienna, Austria, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with unlawful reentry of a removed alien and making a false statement to a federal officer. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years and $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Catherine Baumgarten, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on February 27, 2017, the defendant, who had previously been removed from the United States, attempted to enter the United States at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry without the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of Homeland Security.  Such consent and permission is required in instances in which a person has previously been deported or removed from the United States. During the process seeking admission to the United States, Deutsch also made false statements to a federal officer.

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and is being held pending a detention hearing on March 6, 2017, at 2:00 p.m.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly and Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.