Arnulfo Fernandez Solis, also known by multiple aliases and identified as a Mexican national unlawfully present in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty on Aug. 4 to one count of unlawful reentry of a removed alien. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Solis faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge followed an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division. According to the indictment, Solis was found in the United States on April 24 without obtaining consent from the Secretary of Homeland Security after having been previously removed on three occasions: May 2, 2005; June 28, 2001; and January 29, 1998.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative aimed at using Department of Justice resources “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.” The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted Solis’s plea and ordered completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine sentencing after considering federal guidelines and statutory factors. Solis will remain in custody with the United States Marshals Service until sentencing takes place. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chuck Sullivan represented the government during these proceedings.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma covers federal criminal investigations, prosecutions, civil litigation and debt collection for eastern Oklahoma’s only federal judicial district fully within Indian country; it operates under the Department of Justice with facilities in Muskogee while advancing community wellness through responsibilities to sovereign Tribal Nations across its jurisdiction over 26 counties including Adair and Atoka counties, according to the official website.