Illegal alien sex offender sentenced for second unlawful reentry

Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - A 45-year-old man from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

David Antonio Varcenas-Aguilar pleaded guilty Sept. 2.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered Varcenas-Aguilar to serve 27 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted he was sentencing Varcenas-Aguilar at the highest sentence pursuant to the federal sentencing guidelines because of his serious criminal history which involve violence against another.

Varcenas-Aguilar has a felony conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child. Authorities first removed him from the United States in 2015, but he unlawfully returned shortly thereafter.

On July 12, law enforcement discovered Varcenas-Aguilar hiding in the brush near the Rio Grande during a linewatch operation.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro 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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.