Six men who were previously deported and later reentered the United States illegally have been sentenced to federal prison in the Southern District of Indiana. The cases involved individuals from Mexico and Honduras, all with prior felony convictions. The defendants were apprehended in Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, and Marion counties through separate investigations.
Francisco Cervantes-Venegas, 36, from Mexico, received a sentence of four years and nine months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. His criminal record includes multiple offenses such as operating a vehicle without a license, criminal confinement involving a minor, domestic battery in the presence of a child, strangulation, and sexual battery by force or imminent threat.
German Lazo Mendez, 36, from Honduras was sentenced to four years and three months in prison with two years of supervised release. He had been previously removed from the country twice and has convictions for illegal reentry, armed robbery, and battery resulting in bodily injury.
Giovani Ramirez-Soto, 33, also from Mexico, was given two-and-a-half years in prison plus two years of supervised release. His history includes conspiracy to possess heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute as well as illegal reentry. Ramirez-Soto also faces pending charges in Marion County related to unlicensed driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Bonifacio Ortiz-Pena, 40; Nelgio Tovias DeLeon-Perez, 46; and Mauricio Toto-Xolo, 32—each originally from Mexico—received sentences ranging from time served (11 months) up to one year and six months imprisonment. Their records include repeated illegal entries into the U.S., transportation of illegal aliens with aiding and abetting charges (DeLeon-Perez), operating vehicles while intoxicated (Ortiz-Pena), among other offenses.
At sentencing hearings where each defendant pleaded guilty to illegal reentry charges, they acknowledged that after serving their prison terms they would be subject to removal from the United States. Conditions of supervision require them to surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon release.
“Violent criminal aliens who repeatedly violate our immigration laws and endanger our communities must face real consequences,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Through Operation Take Back America, we are unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens and ensure that those who threaten our security face swift and decisive justice.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency conducted investigations leading to these prosecutions. Sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judges Matthew P. Brookman, Jane Magnus-Stinson, and Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Eakman, Carolyn Haney, MaryAnn Mindrum, and Meredith Wood prosecuted these cases.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative intended to use resources from both the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program as well as Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The operation aims at reducing violent crime associated with cartels or transnational criminal organizations by streamlining federal law enforcement efforts.
