Criminal Illegal Alien from Mexico Who Impregnated Child Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawful Reentry

Gainesville, Florida - Pablo Gomez-Sarmiento, 25, of Mexico, was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry into the United States. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "This case reaffirms the absolute necessity of securing our borders against criminal illegal aliens and aggressively enforcing our immigration laws. The defendant's rape of the child in the underlying state case was 100% preventable. That heartbreaking case is the precise reason why President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche have committed the Department of Justice to repelling the invasion of illegal immigration that took place under the prior administration, to ensure we keep criminal illegal aliens, like this defendant, out of our country."

Court documents reflect that the defendant, a citizen of Mexico, was removed from the United States in January 2020. Thereafter, the defendant unlawfully returned to the United States, and he was arrested in Alachua County, Florida, in 2024 for impregnating a child under the age of 16. The Defendant admitted to observing the 15-year-old victim getting off a school bus and was aware that she was under 18 years old. He was convicted in 2025 and sentenced to state prison. While the defendant was serving his state sentence, the United States Immigration and Custom's Enforcement became aware of the defendant's presence in the United States and initiated the federal criminal charge.

"Criminal illegal aliens who prey on children will find no place to hide from the women and men of ICE" said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. "This criminal alien unlawfully returned to the United States after removal and then targeted a child to sexually exploit. ICE will not tolerate those who defy our immigration laws and prey on innocent victims."

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler Fleming prosecuted the case.

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.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.