Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United States and Possessing a Firearm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A Mexican National pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to illegal reentry and alien in possession of a firearm.

Israel Ramirez-Jaramillo, 33, pleaded guilty before Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. to a federal indictment charging him with one count of illegal reentry and one count of alien in possession of a firearm.

According to the plea agreement filed in the case, on April 20, 2025, Osage Beach Police Department officers were called to an apartment building regarding a report of shots fired and a domestic disturbance. Upon their arrival, officers contacted the subjects reportedly engaged in the domestic disturbance. The investigation revealed that Ramirez-Jaramillo and his girlfriend had been at a party earlier in the evening and upon coming back to her apartment, got into an argument. Witness statements indicated that after a neighbor who had overheard the argument went outside to check on the girlfriend, Ramirez-Jaramillo retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, walked towards the neighbor's apartment while making a threatening statement, and then discharged the firearm into the air.

Officers eventually located the firearm and loaded magazine in the toilet upon which Ramirez-Jaramillo was seated.

In his plea agreement, Ramirez-Jaramillo admitted that he was first removed from the United States on April 5, 2011, at San Ysidro, California. His initial order of removal was reinstated after he was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on April 13, 2011, near Cowlic, Arizona. Ramirez-Jaramillo was again removed from the United States to Mexico on July 13, 2011, at Brownsville, Texas.

Under federal statutes, Ramirez-Jaramillo is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for the firearms offense, and up to two years on the illegal reentry offense. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecily L. Hicks. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Osage Beach Police Department.

Operation Take Back America

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.