A jury in Rapid City, South Dakota, has found Celso Diaz-Martinez, a 52-year-old Mexican national, guilty of illegal reentry after deportation. The verdict was delivered on February 18, 2025, following a one-day trial in federal district court.

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the conviction and noted that the charge could result in a maximum penalty of two years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine. Additionally, Diaz-Martinez faces one year of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Diaz-Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024. During the trial, evidence showed that he is not a U.S. citizen and had been deported from the United States four times before being found again in Meade County, South Dakota, in November 2024. He had not received permission for re-entry from either the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Lindrooth and Benjamin Schroeder led the prosecution.

A presentence investigation has been ordered for Diaz-Martinez, but no sentencing date has been set yet. He remains in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service.