A Honduran national has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after a previous removal, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Leon Cruz-Lanza, 34, pleaded guilty on April 7. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge handed down the sentence and noted that Cruz-Lanza is not a U.S. citizen and will likely face removal proceedings again after serving his prison term.
“The defendant in this case took a bad situation and made it much, much worse,” said Ganjei. “You don’t come to this country illegally, and you don’t assault law enforcement. And you certainly don’t do both of these at the same time. Hopefully this sentence serves as a lesson to other would-be lawbreakers.”
Cruz-Lanza was initially removed from the United States in 2017 but returned unlawfully and was convicted of illegal reentry before being removed again. In May 2022, authorities found him once more in The Woodlands after he assaulted two law enforcement officers—a local police officer and a deputy constable.
He will remain in custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Weinhold and Amanda Alum prosecuted the case.
