Mexican National Indicted For Illegal Re Entry

Defendant Deported Three Times Previously

ATLANTA - Rogelio Lopez-Velasquez has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the offense of illegal re-entry after deportation and being found in the United States without admission or parole.   

“Our officers work diligently with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia to hold accountable aliens who show such flagrant disregard for our nation’s immigration laws,” said Felicia S. Skinner, field office director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) field office in Atlanta. “Aliens who consider illegally re-entering the United States after removal should know we are serious about prosecuting them for this felony offense. Their very illegal presence in the United States provides all of the evidence we need.” Skinner oversees ERO operations in Georgia and the Carolinas.

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charge and other information presented in court: ICE agents encountered Lopez-Velasquez, 29, of Oaxaca, Mexico, on January 15, 2013, in Gwinnett County, Ga.  After a background check, agents determined that Lopez-Velasquez, who initially gave a false name of “Rogelio Santiago-Lopez,” had been deported from the United States on three prior occasions between September 2007, and November 2011.  His most recent deportation resulted from a June 14, 2011, conviction for illegal entry in the District of Arizona, Tucson Division.

The indictment alleges one count of illegal re-entry after deportation.  The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to one year.  In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

This case is being investigated by Deportation Officers of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s - Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Njeri B. Maldonado is prosecuting the case.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.