239 charged in new cases related to SDTX’s continuing efforts to secure southern border

HOUSTON – A total of 237 more cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from April 18-24, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

As part of those cases, 124 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, firearms or sexual offenses, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 106 people face charges of illegally entering the country, five cases involve various instances of human smuggling with the remainder relating to assault of an officer or other immigration-related crimes.  

As part of the cases filed this week, Carlos Verduco-Muniz faces charges of assault of a federal officer. He allegedly punched a Texas Military Department Specialist on the left side of his face during a pursuit to apprehend him near Rio Grande City. The charges allege he is a citizen and national of Mexico who was illegally present in the United States at the time of the assault.

Some of those charged with felony reentry include three men found near Roma. Jose Roberto Cuadro-Parada had just been removed in March and allegedly illegally returned. Yobani Garcia-Garcia and Benito Barrera-Martinez are both Mexican nationals who had previously been removed Jan. 10, 2025, and Sept. 18, 2024, respectively, according to the complaints filed in their cases. The charges allege Garcia-Garcia has a conviction for a previous illegal reentry, while Barrera-Martinez had been ordered to serve 60 months for intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana prior to his removal.

Another charged this week is Perla Elizabeth Arguelles-Trejo, a Mexican female found in the United States near Edinburg. She had previously been removed in September 2020 following her sentence for intoxication manslaughter with vehicle, according to allegations.

In addition to the new cases filed, a 27-year-old Mexican national unlawfully residing in Laredo was sentenced for assaulting and inflicting bodily harm on a Border Patrol (BP) agent. Guillermo Osto-Navarrete had picked up several illegal aliens after they exited the Rio Grande River. He then led authorities on a vehicle pursuit and broadsided a law enforcement vehicle, causing it to spin 180 degrees. A BP agent rushed to assist Osto-Navarrete and check for injuries. However, Osto-Navarrete struck the agent’s face and head several times in rapid succession while the agent was standing and after falling to the ground. The agent sustained a black eye, bruising to his head and face, scratches to his chin, lacerations on his hands–including a deep cut to one finger–and a scraped knee. Osto-Navarrete was ordered to serve 24 months in federal prison and is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.

Also announced this week was the sentencing of a 21-year-old Honduran man illegally residing in Houston for a robbery of a Family Dollar store. Carlos Gonzalez-Vargas had brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the register. When the employee did not act fast enough, Gonzalez-Vargas shot her in the leg. He will now serve 150 months for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At the hearing, the court heard he was affiliated with a gang, posted Instagram selfies with the firearm and fired the weapon at a 13-year-old child one month after the robbery. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the mandatory minimum sentence did not adequately address the seriousness of his conduct.

In Houston, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against a Guatemalan national for illegally reentering the country without authorization. The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Leonardo Fernando Batz guilty as charged following a three-day trial. Testimony revealed Batz had been previously removed in 2007 and in 2020. Prior to his 2020 removal, he had illegally entered the United States by raft on the Rio Grande River.

The second ringleader in an international fraud scheme victimizing the elderly was also ordered to serve 46 months in prison this week. Hardik Jayantilal Patel, 37, illegally resided in Lexington, Kentucky, and was also ordered to pay a combined $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 identified victims. From March through November 2019, Patel led a team of domestic money mules aka “runners.” They laundered money tied to telemarketing fraud schemes originating from call centers in India.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. 

The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.