DENVER - After his fifth conviction for the same crime, a Mexican man was sentenced on Thursday to serve five years in federal prison for unlawfully re-entering the United States after having been deported following an aggravated felony conviction. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney David Gaouette, District of Colorado, and John P. Longshore, field office director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Denver.
Cuatemoc Arias-Rodriguez, aka Jesus Leyba-Ramirez, aka Jorge Rios Santana, 34, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 22. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Lewis T. Babcock on May 4, and was sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison on July 22.
Arias-Rodriguez, who appeared at the hearing in custody, was remanded to start serving his sentence.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on Feb. 26 Arias-Rodriguez was encountered by a federal immigration enforcement agent in the Denver County Jail. He had been arrested by the Denver Police Department on Feb. 23 for making a false report using a false name. On March 1, Arias-Rodriguez was released by the Denver County Sheriff's Office and was placed in ICE custody. Arias-Rodriguez then stated that he last illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in January 2010, near San Ysidro, Calif. ICE agents checked their records and discovered that Arias-Rodriguez was deported numerous times since 1995. He was last deported on Dec. 28, 2008.
Anyone who re-enters the United States after being formally deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
"This latest conviction shows firsthand how various law enforcement agencies work together to remove criminal aliens from our streets," said John P. Longshore, field office director of ICE-ERO in Denver. "ICE continues that law enforcement process by working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure that re-entry laws are strictly enforced." Longshore oversees the states of Colorado and Wyoming.
Arias-Rodriguez has five separate prior criminal convictions, including:
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown, District of Colorado, prosecuted this case.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423 or complete our tip form.