News Releases

Mexican national charged with illegal re-entry after deportation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A previously deported illegal alien from Mexico was indicted on Monday in federal court for illegally re-entering the United States. The indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Kentucky returned an indictment Feb. 1 against Iram Gamaliel Lopez-Olguin, aka Ricardo Espinoza, on charges of illegally re-entering into the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony.

The indictment alleges that Lopez-Olguin, a Mexican national, was illegally in the U.S. after having been previously deported. He did not have the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to re-enter into the United States.

According to court documents, on Dec. 24, 2009, the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections notified ICE that a foreign-born national by the name of Ricardo Espinoza had been arrested. During an interview with ICE, Espinoza admitted that his true name was Lopez-Olguin and that he was in the U.S. illegally. Further investigation revealed that Lopez-Olguin had been previously deported on Nov. 9, 2007, following a conviction for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

"Criminal aliens who have been deported, and who knowingly break the law by re-entering the United States, face criminal prosecution for their flagrant disregard of our laws," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal in Chicago. "ICE will continue to work with our state and local partners to identify and prosecute individuals who have been previously deported and have illegally re-entered the United States."

If convicted, Lopez-Olguin faces up to 20 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. After serving any prison sentence imposed, he will be turned over to ICE for removal from the U.S.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Kinnicutt, Western District of Kentucky, is prosecuting the case.

The indictment of a person is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.