Illegal alien who was convicted of the sexual assault of a child pleads guilty to and sentenced for illegal re-entry

BUFFALO, NY - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Arlem Bayardo Cabrera-Escoto, 41, of a native and citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to illegal re-entry subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction. The defendant was then sentenced to serve five months in prison. After serving his sentence, Cabrera-Escoto will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On April 22, 2026, four illegal aliens were arrested in Depew, NY, as part of a targeted enforcement effort. Law enforcement, who observed four Hispanic males exit a residence and leave in a truck parked at the residence, conducted a vehicle stop shortly after. After questioning, all four admitted that they were in the United States illegally and did not have any immigration documents that would have allowed them to be, enter, or remain in the United States. Law enforcement asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, at which time he attempted to flee on foot and actively resisted arrest. The three passengers, including Cabrera-Escoto, also fled on foot. Cabrera-Escoto was taken into custody a short time later.

During processing, it was determined that Cabrera-Escoto is a native and citizen of Honduras illegally present in the United States. In April 2005, Cabrera-Escoto was convicted of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, an aggravated felony, and sentenced to 240 days confinement in the State of Wisconsin. In August 2005, he was physically removed from the United States.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan W. Fitzgerald. The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Acting Chief Patrol Agent James D'Amato, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone.

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