Federal grand juries charged twelve individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico with illegal reentry into the United States, according to a March 30 announcement from authorities in Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. The indictments allege that each person was found in the Northern District of Ohio after having previously been removed from the country without receiving consent for readmission.
The cases highlight ongoing federal efforts to enforce immigration laws and address unauthorized entries. Each defendant faces charges under Title 8 U.S. Code 1326 for returning to the United States after removal.
Among those indicted are Alonso Diaz-Espinosa, who was found near Fremont on March 7 after being removed at least twice, most recently on Feb. 13; Fredy Garcia Rosa, located in Elyria on March 5 following a previous removal on Aug. 14, 2023; and Santos Antonio De Jesus Gomez, discovered near Fremont after being removed at least twice before Oct. 26, 2024. Other defendants include Mario Gregorio-Arias of Guatemala; Cuauhtemoc Hernandez-Marquez of Mexico—who is known by several aliases; Candelaria del Rosario Lopez-Bautista; Cesar Mazariegos-Lopez; Wiliam A. Mendez-Rivera (also known as William Rivera-Santos); Alan Ramos-Capultitla; Jeyson Rodriguez-Lanza; Genry Sanchez-Espinoza; and Carlos Sauceda-Alvarez.
The investigations leading to these indictments were conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava Rotell Dustin, Matthew D. Simko, Frank H. Spryszak, Jennifer King, and Brett S. Hammond for the Northern District of Ohio.
Authorities emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
These prosecutions fall under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative designed to use Department of Justice resources to counter illegal immigration activities as well as target cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
