United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 16:31
Honduran Illegal Indicted for Reentry of Deported Alien
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that ELVIN LEONARDO OLIVA-RODRIGUEZ ("OLIVA-RODRIGUEZ"), age 37, a native of Honduras, was indicted on March 13, 2026, for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, OLIVA-RODRIGUEZ was apprehended during a traffic stop on I-12 travelling westbound. During the traffic stop, the Border Patrol Officer who conducted the stop learned that OLIVA-RODRIGUEZ was a national of Honduras, that he was in the United States illegally and that he had been previously deported on February 28, 2014, after being arrested in McAllen, Texas.
If convicted, OLIVA-RODRIGUEZ faces a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs Enforcement Border Protection in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
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