Ocala, Florida - Senior U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore today sentenced Juan Paulin-Leon (36, Mexico) to five years in federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien. Paulin-Leon had pleaded guilty on March 6, 2019.
According to evidence presented in court, on Jan. 27, 2019, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Paulin-Leon on a state criminal charge of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Following his arrest, the jail’s booking system automatically forwarded Paulin-Leon’s personal identifying information to officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who confirmed through fingerprints and photographs that Paulin-Leon was illegally present in the United States from Mexico.
Paulin-Leon had previously been deported from the United States on two occasions-Feb. 11, 2005 and January 4, 2013. He also had prior felony convictions for burglary (2001) and trafficking in drugs (2011).
This case was investigated by Enforcement and Removal Operations (Orlando), a component of ICE, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
