BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Juan Felix Andres, 20, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation following conviction of an aggravated felony before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who is handling the case, stated that on April 16, 2016, the defendant was convicted in Texas of aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain, an aggravated felony. Following that conviction, Andres was ordered removed to Mexico from the United States.
On Feb. 27, 2018, while an order of removal was still in effect, the defendant was found in the United States at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry in Lewiston, NY. An automated scan of the defendant’s fingerprints were obtained for comparison and matched the fingerprints on file with the FBI and confirmed that Andres was the same person who was convicted in Texas. The defendant did not obtain the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or his successor, the Secretary for Homeland Security, to re-enter the United States.
Today’s plea is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 7, 2018, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys