Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has announced recent immigration enforcement actions involving three separate cases.
Francisco Gonzalez-Lopez, a 35-year-old citizen of Guatemala, has been charged with illegal reentry after previously being removed from the United States on November 15, 2017. Authorities located him in Poland Township, Ohio, on June 12, 2025. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Department of Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rolph.
Jaime Ortega-Urquidi, a 63-year-old citizen of Mexico, faces charges for illegal reentry following a previous removal from the country on October 10, 2017. He was found in Lorain, Ohio on May 28, 2025. Ortega-Urquidi is also charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine after investigators found nearly five pounds of cocaine in his possession according to court documents. Additionally, he faces an enhanced penalty due to a prior serious drug felony conviction in 2014. This case was investigated by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station, FBI Cleveland Division, and Lorain Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Lewis.
In another case, Edil A. Martinez-Padilla, a 38-year-old citizen of Honduras who had previously been removed twice from the United States (most recently on April 24, 2013), was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to illegal reentry before U.S. District Judge David A. Ruiz. Martinez-Padilla remains detained pending deportation. ICE-HSI conducted the investigation preceding the indictment and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly prosecuted the case.
Officials emphasized that indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt: "An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."
Sentencing for any convictions will be determined based on factors unique to each case including criminal history and role in offenses: "If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations."
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—an initiative that deploys resources from across the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
