Mexican national previously deported multiple times pleads guilty to illegal re-entry

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Juan Vera-Cervantes, 45, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. He was then turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who handled the case, stated that on February 25, 2025, Border Patrol agents observed a white cargo van with a Tennessee license plate traveling on the I 490. A check of the license plate revealed that Vera-Cervantes was the registered owner of the vehicle, and he had been previously deported multiple times from the United States and had his final order of removal reinstated on three different occasions. During a traffic stop of the vehicle, Vera-Cervantes stated that he is a citizen and national of Mexico without immigration documents to be in the United States legally. He was then administratively detained.

This case is 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The plea and sentence are a result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Juan Ramirez.

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