A Mexican national who had been deported twice and whose criminal record includes a conviction for causing the deaths of two teenagers in Orange County has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Oscar Eduardo Ortega, 44, formerly of Garden Grove, received his sentence from United States District Judge John W. Holcomb.
Ortega pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. According to court documents, he was previously removed from the country in December 2016 and June 2018.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli commented on the case: “Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state of California failed the families of the two victims this defendant killed in a DUI accident. The federal government under this administration delivered justice where the state would not. We hope today’s sentence brings some measure of healing to those devastated by this criminal’s acts.”
In November 2021, Ortega was involved in a fatal crash on the 405 freeway in Seal Beach while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving at speeds reaching 100 mph. The crash resulted in the deaths of two 19-year-old individuals.
Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court in 2022 on two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and sentenced to ten years in state prison but served less than four years before his release. He has remained in federal custody since July 2025.
His criminal history also includes felony convictions for grand theft of personal property and unlawful taking of a vehicle (Los Angeles Superior Court, October 2005), as well as false imprisonment by violence and deceit (Orange County Superior Court, February 2014).
The case was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence E. Kole from the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which uses Department of Justice resources to address illegal immigration, target cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California serves as the main federal prosecutor's office for its district, handling both criminal prosecutions and civil matters across seven counties with offices located in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside. The office works with law enforcement partners at all levels to ensure public safety for more than 19 million residents it serves.
