Aedo Cruz Gonzalez, a 40-year-old resident of New Jersey, was arraigned on July 2 on a charge of illegal re-entry after previously being convicted of a felony, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Cruz Gonzalez, identified as a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a one-count indictment with illegal re-entry by a convicted felon under Title 8, United States Code, Sections 1326(a) and (b)(1). Court documents and statements indicate that Cruz Gonzalez was removed from the United States to Mexico twelve times between 2011 and September 2024 for illegally entering the country.
On February 6, 2012, Cruz Gonzalez pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to illegally re-entering the United States as a felony offense and received a five-month prison sentence. He was then removed from the country for the third time in August 2012. Following this removal, authorities said he entered the United States unlawfully nine more times and was returned to Mexico each time. After his most recent removal around September 24, 2024, he again entered unlawfully and was arrested by Hillsborough Police Department on December 7, 2024. He faced charges including exhibiting a false motor vehicle insurance card and operating during license suspension; he was convicted on these charges in Somerset County Superior Court on May 22, 2025.
The charge against Cruz Gonzalez carries up to ten years’ imprisonment and fines reaching $250,000 or twice any resulting financial gain or loss. U.S. Attorney Frazer credited Enforcement and Removal Operations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Newark Field Office for assistance with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Miller is representing the government in this case through the General Crimes Unit in Newark. The indictment states that all charges are accusations only until proven otherwise in court proceedings.
The defense counsel is listed as Adam Axel and Meagan McGurl from the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey prosecutes federal crimes statewide with offices in Newark, Trenton and Camden; it also represents civil matters across New Jersey while staffing about 170 attorneys and support personnel as part of its operations within the Department of Justice, according to the official website.