Sebastian Mejia-De La Cruz, Reentering the United States, Iowa 2018
A Guatemalan man, Sebastian Mejia-De La Cruz, 27, has been sentenced to federal prison for reentering the United States without the permission of the United States government.
Mejia-De La Cruz was found by immigration officers at the Tama County Jail in Toledo, Iowa, following his arrest for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated on December 3, 2017. He was later convicted of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated on December 21, 2017, and had also been convicted of identity theft in Renville County, Minnesota, in January 2015.
Mejia-De La Cruz illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government in 2012, after being deported from the United States on June 10, 2011. He was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade to 77 days’ imprisonment.
In addition to the prison term, Mejia-De La Cruz must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Mejia-De La Cruz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Mejia-De La Cruz’s case was prosecuted under Title 8, U.S.C. § 1326, which prohibits a person who has been deported from the United States from reentering the country without the permission of the United States government.
The case file number is 18-CR-01. For more information, visit https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
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Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Sebastian Mejia-De La Cruz. Exact criminal charges: Illegal reentry into the United States. City and state: Toledo, Iowa. Exact date: December 3, 2017. Sentence or outcome: 77 days’ imprisonment. Dollar amounts: None.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Border Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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