A Mexican citizen has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
Eberardo Yovany Peralta-Cazales, 34, was sentenced by United States District Judge Corey L. Maze after pleading guilty to illegal re-entry following deportation.
Court records show that Peralta-Cazales was first removed from the United States on November 11, 2015. He was found again in the country on September 21, 2023, and removed a second time on September 29, 2023. Less than a year later, he was arrested in Dekalb County, Alabama, facing five counts of second-degree rape and four counts of second-degree sodomy involving a 12-year-old girl. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Deportation Removal Office (ICE/ERO) was notified about his arrest and later transferred him into federal custody.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with support from the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara M. Judah prosecuted the case.
“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,” according to the release from authorities.
