Edwin Bonilla Mendoza, Resisting Arrest, Illinois 2026

Defendant Strangled Family Member Before Resisting Arrest

Edwin Bonilla Mendoza, a 39-year-old Salvadoran national, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for resisting a federal officer and being a removed alien found in the United States. The U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce handed down the sentence on March 30, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

Bonilla Mendoza had previously been removed from the United States in 2018 but returned illegally. In 2023, he was convicted of Aggravated Domestic Battery in Kankakee County Circuit Court after he strangled a family member during an incident of domestic violence.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents located Bonilla Mendoza in Kankakee County in June 2025, while he was attempting to flee from arrest. The agents, who were wearing marked police uniforms, apprehended him after he tried to evade capture.

During the sentencing hearing, the judge found that Bonilla Mendoza created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury while fleeing from ICE. He tried to drive away from the agents, accelerating his vehicle into a police car twice before fleeing into a residential area.

Bonilla Mendoza pleaded guilty to his offenses and is expected to be removed from the United States at the conclusion of his sentence. The statutory penalties for being a removed alien found in the United States include up to two years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to one year of supervised release.

The case was investigated by ICE and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Lynch. The sentence is a result of Bonilla Mendoza’s blatant disregard for the law and his failure to comply with immigration regulations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois is committed to enforcing the law and protecting the community from individuals who engage in violent and destructive behavior.

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