Ecuadorian man charged with illegal re-entry

BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today Wilson Paul Loja-Angamarca, 28, a citizen of Ecuador, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with re-entry of a removed alien, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fauzia K. Mattingly, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, Loja-Angamarca is currently unlawfully present in the United States, having been previously removed in 2019. On July 24, 2025, he was located by Homeland Security agents during a traffic stop in the village of Allegany. Loja-Angamarca did not possess the proper documentation to be in the United States and was taken into custody.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Loja-Angamarca made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and was detained.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge Juan Ramirez, Jr.

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.   

# # # #