A 61-year-old Mexican national, Jose Antonio Villegas-Herrera, was sentenced on April 2 to 55 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being removed, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Villegas-Herrera pleaded guilty on July 16, 2024. The sentencing took place before U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge, who heard details of Villegas-Herrera’s prior criminal record. His history included a previous federal felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which also resulted in a sentence of 55 months in prison. During the hearing, it was noted that Villegas-Herrera had previously cut off his ankle monitor and fled before an earlier court appearance.
Authorities originally removed Villegas-Herrera from the United States in 2007. He was discovered again in Houston on July 28, 2022 without authorization to be present in the country and has remained in custody since then pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prison facility.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, while Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Whitney prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas has had several notable leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick according to its official history page. The office maintains locations across Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville according to its official website. It is part of the Department of Justice under the supervision of the Attorney General according to its official website.
Employing more than two hundred attorneys and covering forty-three counties with a population exceeding nine million people according to its official website, the office prosecutes federal crimes and handles civil cases on behalf of the government according to its official website. Alamdar Hamdani served as one of its recent leaders from 2022 through 2025 as noted on its official history page.
