The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio has announced new immigration charges against four individuals in separate cases. The defendants, all foreign nationals, are facing various charges related to illegal reentry into the United States and other offenses.
Alberto Caiceros-Cruz, a 40-year-old Mexican national, was arrested after being observed driving a vehicle without registration in Columbus. He had previously been removed from the U.S. in 2022.
An El Salvadoran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Columbus for illegally reentering the country after convictions for sex offenses. Similarly, a Honduran national is facing charges for illegal possession of firearms.
Carlos Gonzales-Hernandez, aged 55, was detained following a traffic stop in Madison County and transferred to ICE custody. He had been deported after serving a prison sentence for sex offenses in Franklin County.
Elmer Edison Rodriguez-Guzman, 46, was stopped in Cambridge due to no taillights on his vehicle. Authorities found firearms and ammunition during the stop. He was arrested and placed into federal custody.
Pedro Marquez, also known by several aliases including Peter Marquez and Alex Vasquez Rivas, has been indicted on charges stemming from his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy and illegal reentry into the U.S. Marquez was apprehended on February 13th in Bloomingburg after being deported post-imprisonment in 2016.
Illegal reentry into the United States can result in up to two years of imprisonment. Prior felony convictions can increase this penalty to ten years or more if aggravated felonies are involved.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations Detroit; and Robert Lynch from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit Field Office have jointly announced these charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler J. Aagard, Sheila G. Lafferty, and David J. Twombly will be handling these prosecutions.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty as indictments contain only allegations at this stage.
These cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Southern District of Ohio Immigration Enforcement Task Force which focuses on immigration violations with dedicated resources.
