Manuel Orrego-Zavala Charged in I-70 Crash That Killed 2

A fatal crash on Interstate 70 in Indianapolis early Sunday morning has led to federal charges against Manuel Orrego-Zavala, 37, a Guatemalan national previously deported twice from the United States. Orrego-Zavala was charged with illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien after the wreck that claimed the lives of two innocent men and triggered a swift investigation by federal and state authorities.

According to the criminal complaint, Orrego-Zavala was arrested at the scene of the crash on February 4, 2018, after being involved in the deadly collision. Initially providing the alias ‘Alex G. Cabrera’ to law enforcement, his true identity was quickly uncovered through collaboration between Homeland Security and the Indianapolis Metro Police Department, exposing a history of illegal entry and deportation.

Records show Orrego-Zavala was first arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO) in October 2006 and removed to Guatemala in January 2007, barred from re-entry for 10 years. He returned illegally and was again caught in March 2009, removed in May 2009, and then prohibited from returning for 20 years. Despite these orders, he re-entered the U.S. and allegedly put the public at risk once more.

Indianapolis U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler did not hold back in condemning the defendant’s actions. ‘The defendant in this case allegedly re-entered the country illegally for the second time before he put the public safety of Indianapolis at risk and took the lives of two innocent men,’ Minkler said, citing U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ directive to prioritize prosecution of illegal re-entrants, especially those posing a danger to public safety.

Orrego-Zavala remains in federal custody as the Indiana State Police and Marion County Prosecutor’s Office continue their investigation into the crash. The federal immigration charge will stay pending until all state criminal matters are resolved. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney William McCoskey, who is handling the prosecution.

A criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt, and Orrego-Zavala is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in federal court. This case, however, underscores the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana’s Strategic Plan to aggressively pursue illegal immigration cases linked to public safety threats—a priority reaffirmed in October 2017 under Minkler’s leadership.