CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 34-year-old from Tanlacut, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, has been convicted of illegal reentry after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
The jury deliberated for 20 minutes following a one-day trial before returning a guilty verdict against Laureano Mar-Peres.
At trial, the jury heard how authorities found Mar-Peres in Kenedy County as he attempted to circumvent the United States checkpoint located near Sarita. Mar-Peres previously had been removed from the United States twice before, most recently on Oct. 22, 2021.
The defense attempted to convey to the jury that with the amount of illegal aliens processed, there was no way to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Mar-Peres was the same person who had been ordered removed previously.
The jury was not convinced and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for Feb. 22, 2023 at which time Mar-Peres faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.