A Mexican national has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
United States District Judge Corey L. Maze issued the sentence to Eberardo Yovany Peralta-Cazales, 34, who had previously pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation.
Court documents state that Peralta-Cazales was first removed from the United States on November 11, 2015. He was found again in the country on September 21, 2023, and subsequently removed on September 29, 2023. Less than a year following his second removal, Peralta-Cazales was arrested in Dekalb County, Alabama. He faced five counts of second-degree rape and four counts of second-degree sodomy involving a 12-year-old girl. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Removal Office (ICE/ERO) was informed of his arrest and later took him into federal custody.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in collaboration with the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara M. Judah prosecuted the case.
“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,” according to the press release.
