The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma reported that Carlos Mendoza-Padilla, a Honduran national residing unlawfully in Carter County, Oklahoma, has entered a guilty plea to one count of unlawful reentry of a removed alien. This offense carries potential penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division alongside the Carter County Sheriff’s Office. According to the indictment, Mendoza-Padilla was discovered in the United States on May 4, 2025, after having been deported twice before without obtaining consent from the Secretary of Homeland Security to return.
This legal action is part of Operation Take Back America. The initiative aims to utilize resources from the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime. The operation incorporates efforts from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson accepted Mendoza-Padilla's plea in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma and ordered a presentence investigation report. The final sentence will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge who will consider both sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
Mendoza-Padilla remains under custody with the United States Marshals Service until sentencing occurs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the government in this case.
