A Honduran national, Christian Pena-Ochoa, 30, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien before U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle on November 5, 2025. The charge falls under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
Court documents show that Pena-Ochoa first entered the United States illegally in October 2014. In 2018, he was convicted for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number and subsequently removed to Honduras. He reentered the U.S. illegally between 2018 and 2020.
In December 2020, authorities in Orleans Parish issued an arrest warrant for Pena-Ochoa on charges including domestic abuse battery/strangulation, aggravated battery, and extortion. A second warrant was later issued for additional charges such as rape, domestic abuse battery/strangulation, and false imprisonment while armed with a dangerous weapon.
In 2022, the United States Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force located Pena-Ochoa in Harris County, Texas. He was extradited to Orleans Parish where he pleaded guilty to second degree rape and cruelty to juveniles.
Pena-Ochoa faces up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman from the Violent Crime Unit is prosecuting the case.
