Mexican National Sentenced To More Than 6 Years In Federal Prison For Illegal Reentry After Deportation

Fayetteville, AR – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Erasmo Ortiz-Torres, age 41, was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in federal prison followed by deportation proceedings for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court records, immigration authorities encountered Ortiz-Torres at Washington County Jail on December 13, 2018.  Ortiz-Torres is a Mexican national formerly residing in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Through fingerprints, agents determined Ortiz-Torres’ identity, criminal history, and alienage.  According to his immigration file, Ortiz-Torres has been issued reinstated removal orders multiple times since he was first removed from the United States in 2001.  In 2006, he was convicted of illegal reentry into the United States after deportation subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction.  In 2017, he was deported again.  After his most recent removal, Ortiz-Torres reentered the United States voluntarily and without lawful authority.    

Ortiz-Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019 and entered a guilty plea in May 2019.  He will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.   

The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operation.  Assistant United States Attorneys Sydney Butler and Amy Driver prosecuted the case for the United States.