Man from Mexico pleads guilty to reentering the U.S. twice

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a citizen of Mexico pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally reentering the United States after having been previously removed.

Bertoldo Labra-Martinez, 33, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien. According to the guilty plea, the defendant was found in the United States on November 3, 2016, while incarcerated at the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center. Records show that Labra-Martinez was previously removed from the United States in January of 2008 and March of 2015.

Labra-Martinez was previously convicted on October 23, 2014, in the U.S. District Court, Lake Charles Division, for the offense of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. As a result of that conviction, Labra-Martinez faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, three year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for the offense of reentry of a removed alien. A sentencing date of March 12, 2017 was set.

United States Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy is prosecuting the case.