Four men have been charged in federal court with illegal re-entry offenses following separate incidents in Amherst and West Seneca, New York. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.
Mario Dario Cao-Tzul, also known as Mario Hernandez-Lopez, a 38-year-old citizen of Guatemala, was stopped by law enforcement on November 6, 2025, while driving in Amherst. Authorities determined he was in the United States without valid immigration documents. Records showed that Cao-Tzul had previously been removed from the country three times: in August 2010, April 2013, and May 2019.
Miguel Ibarra-Saavedra, a 43-year-old citizen of Mexico, was encountered during a traffic stop on November 3, 2025, in West Seneca. He told officers he did not have legal status or documents to remain in the United States. He had been removed from the country twice before: in January and February of 2008.
Pedri Servin Grimaldo and Luis Alberto Servin Sanchez, both Mexican nationals aged 53 and 47 respectively, were found as passengers during a traffic stop near a construction site in West Seneca on November 3. Neither man possessed valid immigration documents. Servin Grimaldo has prior felony convictions from Florida dating back to August 1995 and February 1999 and was removed from the United States in October 2001. Servin Sanchez has a felony conviction from North Carolina in September 2001 and has been physically removed from the country multiple times between December 2001 and December 2009.
The four defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer for initial hearings and are currently detained.
According to U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo’s office: “This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
The investigation leading to these charges was conducted by U.S. Border Patrol Buffalo Station under Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan W. Fitzgerald is prosecuting the cases.
Authorities remind that “the fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”
