Ecuadorian man pleads guilty, sentenced for illegal re-entry

BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today Lorenzo Antonio Loja-Castro, 23, a citizen of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to illegal re-entry. He was then sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that Loja-Castro is an alien without any legal status in the United States. On May 7, 2024, he arrested and detained by United States Border Patrol agents near Middleport, NY. On July 2, 2024, Loja-Castro was physically removed from the United States. On March 26, 2025, he was found in Erie County, New York. When approached by Department of Homeland Security Agents and asked about his immigration status, Loja-Castro admitted to being in the United States illegally and did not have any immigration documents allowing him to enter or remain in the United States.

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).

The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.   

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