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Sergio Niz-Mendez, a 27-year-old Guatemalan national, has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for re-entering the US without permission and failing to register as a sex offender in Iowa. Niz-Mendez, who was living in Sheldon, Iowa, pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2026 and was sentenced on August 6, 2026. He was previously deported in 2018 after serving time for a 2016 rape conviction in Massachusetts, where he was found guilty of raping a child with force at the age of 15.
Niz-Mendez was arrested in December 2025 in O’Brien County, Iowa, for operating while intoxicated and eluding. During the arrest, it was discovered that he had re-entered the US without permission and had failed to register as a sex offender, as required by law. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood and Shawn S. Wehde, and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Niz-Mendez will serve his 16-month sentence in federal prison, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. He is currently being held in the custody of the US Marshals until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case is part of the DOJ’s Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and protecting communities from violent crime.
The sentence handed down to Niz-Mendez reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the need to protect the public from individuals who pose a threat to society. The case also highlights the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in identifying and prosecuting individuals who commit crimes in the US.
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