Mexican National Sentenced to 12 Months and 1 Day in Prison

SOUTH BEND - Jose Fuentes-Garcia, 53 years old, a felon from Mexico who had been previously removed from the United States in July of 1998, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in prison by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty. The Defendant had pled guilty to felony Reentry of Removed Alien, after a thorough investigation by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

"The Defendant was previously convicted of two counts of attempted sexual abuse in Oregon and had been removed from our country thereafter. That is, the system worked. The Defendant did not think the rules applied to him, however, and he further violated our nation's laws by illegally crossing our sovereign borders. He has been breaking our nation's laws every single day since his illegal reentry. Thankfully, due to the solid investigation performed by Homeland Security, he was found, caught, and prosecuted. He will be returned home to Mexico after serving the balance of his time in prison. It should be clear that he is not welcome here as a result of his crimes," Mildred said.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.