BUFFALO, N.Y. – Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that eight men from Central America and Mexico pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after previously being deported, and were each sentenced to time served before being transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, the defendants — identified as Mario Dario Cao-Tzul, 38, of Guatemala; Jorge Luis Gonzalez-Roman, 40, of Mexico; Jose Clemente Trujillo-Mejia, 42, of Mexico; Marciano Gonzalez-Avila, 33, of Guatemala; Diego Ignacio Sohom-Tambriz, 40, of Guatemala; Douglas Noel Barahona-Martinez, 37, of El Salvador; Jose Mardoqueo Guevara-Pereira, 38, of El Salvador; and Eleo Francisco Lemus-Moreno, 40, of Honduras — all entered guilty pleas before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Each man was convicted of illegal re-entry under federal immigration law, a charge that applies to previously removed noncitizens who re-enter the country without authorization. Prosecutors said several of the defendants had been deported multiple times before being found again in the Western District of New York.
The cases were handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan W. Fitzgerald, who noted that the defendants were promptly sentenced to time already served in detention and then released to ICE for removal proceedings.
The prosecutions were part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal activity through coordinated enforcement efforts.
Eight men from Central America and Mexico were sentenced to time served and turned over to immigration authorities after pleading guilty to illegal re-entry in Western New York.
