A Honduran national, Mario Fernando Padilla Barahona, 28, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. The sentencing took place on August 8, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Court records show that Padilla Barahona was previously deported from the United States in 2020. In September 2024, he was arrested by law enforcement following an incident where he drove on the wrong side of the road and crashed into a utility pole. At the time of his arrest, he was charged with operating while intoxicated. Prior to his removal in 2020, Padilla Barahona had been convicted of online solicitation of a minor in Montgomery County, Texas.
Upon completion of his prison sentence, Padilla Barahona will serve a two-year term of supervised release. Federal law does not allow parole.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal for the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentence. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Enforcement and Removal Operations.
