RICHMOND, Va. - A Mexican national was sentenced today for six years in prison for illegally reentering the United States following removal after a felony conviction.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rodrigo Martinez-Mendoza, 43, first made illegal entry into the United States in 1993. In 1996 in Texas, he was convicted of forgery. Immigration authorities learned of the matter and commenced removal proceedings. Following processing, Martinez-Mendoza was then released on his own recognizance. In May 1997, Martinez-Mendoza failed to appear at his scheduled hearing, and was ordered deported to Mexico, and a warrant was issued. In August 2005, law enforcement encountered Martinez-Mendoza at Fort Lee Army Base in Petersburg, and he was then processed for deportation. In September 2005, Martinez-Mendoza was removed to Mexico at taxpayer expense. Thereafter on an unknown date, at an unknown location, he illegally returned to the United States.
“Martinez-Mendoza is a serious threat to public safety," said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “In addition to an involuntary manslaughter conviction for killing a man during a drunken fight, he has a criminal record that includes DWI, lying to the police, and he has illegally entered the United States on multiple occasions. The Department of Justice is committed to prioritizing criminal immigration enforcement, especially those like Martinez-Mendoza, who enter this country illegally only to commit further crimes. They will be held accountable, prosecuted, and removed."
In October 2009, Martinez-Mendoza was arrested by officers of the ICE Fugitive Operations Team in Chester, and later pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and served four months before again being deported to Mexico at taxpayer expense. On an unknown date, Martinez-Mendoza illegally returned to the United States.
In December 2017, in Petersburg, Martinez-Mendoza was arrested by law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force on state charges of felony malicious wounding. In October 2018, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Richmond Circuit Court and sentenced to a term of five years in prison with four years suspended.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Russell Hott, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. David Schiller prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-164.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
