Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican national for illegal reentry after deportation. The sentencing occurred on March 10, 2025.
Jose Jimenez, also known as Jose Lidio Chavez Flores, aged 42, received a two-month federal prison sentence and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, Jimenez is set to be removed from the United States.
Jimenez faced charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and illegal reentry after deportation following an indictment by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He entered a guilty plea on February 11, 2025.
The incident leading to these charges took place on November 8, 2024, in Rapid City, South Dakota. Law enforcement attempted to stop Jimenez's vehicle; however, he led them on a pursuit instead of complying. Upon stopping the vehicle, officers found a semi-automatic rifle in the rear seat. As Jimenez is not a U.S. citizen and had been previously removed from the country twice without obtaining consent to return from either the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder handled prosecution duties.
Following his sentencing, Jimenez was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
