U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Immigration Enforcement Actions

CLEVELAND - The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) has announced immigration enforcement actions in the Northern District of Ohio. These are separate cases and not related.

Francisco Gonzalez-Lopez, 35, a citizen of Guatemala, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has one previous removal from the United States on Nov. 15, 2017. On June 12, 2025, he was found in Poland Township, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rolph.

Jaime Ortega-Urquidi, 63, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has previously been removed from the United States with the most recent being Oct. 10, 2017. He was again found in the country on May 28, 2025, in Lorain, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to court documents, investigators discovered that Urquidi had nearly five pounds of cocaine in his possession. Additionally, the defendant is charged with an enhanced penalty for a prior serious drug felony conviction in 2014. This case was investigated by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station, FBI Cleveland Division, and the Lorain Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Lewis is prosecuting the case.

Additionally, Edil A. Martinez-Padilla, 38, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge David A. Ruiz after pleading guilty to illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States twice with the last being April 24, 2013. Martinez-Padilla remains detained pending deportation from the United States. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by ICE-HSI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal records, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.

These cases are 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, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.