BILLINGS - A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States after being removed was sentenced today to time served, 161 days, and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

David Antonio Molina-Mendoza, 38, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to illegal reentry of removed alien.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on September 19, 2025, law enforcement officers stopped a vehicle driven by the defendant on Interstate 90 near Forsyth. Officers requested a records check on Molina-Mendoza and learned he was in the United States illegally. Records revealed Molina-Mendoza was a citizen of Mexico who had previously been removed from the United States on four separate occasions and had no documentation to reside in the United States legally.

Molina-Mendoza was taken into custody by Border Patrol Agents. In an interview with agents, Molina-Mendoza acknowledged he entered the United States illegally.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Border Patrol and Rosebud County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation.

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.

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