Belizean gang member sentenced to 64 months for illegally re-entering US

CHICAGO — A member of the violent Crips street gang, who had been previously deported four times to Belize, was sentenced Tuesday to more than five years in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported. This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Moses Anthony Francisco, 45, an illegal alien, pleaded guilty in December admitting that he was previously deported on four separate occasions. Thereafter, he illegally re-entered the United States without the required consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

According to court documents, Francisco is a six-time convicted felon with a criminal history that includes the following convictions: involuntary manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, robbery, attempted robbery, brandishing a weapon, and illegal re-entry. In 1985 Francisco was convicted in California of involuntary manslaughter after stabbing his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend in the chest and killing him. His conviction for vehicular manslaughter occurred in California in 1989. While driving a stolen car, Francisco caused a crash that killed a passenger in another car during his escape attempt after he robbed a victim at knife-point.

Francisco is also a self-admitted member of the East Side 43 Gangster Crips in Los Angeles and has tattoos documenting his membership. According to court documents, Francisco admitted he is a ranking gang member, and was a “shot caller” for the gang while he was incarcerated in the California Department of Corrections and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. As an admitted member of the Crips "executive committee," he had input regarding whether acts of violence were approved and committed by fellow Crips inmates.

Between 1983 and 2006, Francisco has been deported from the United States to Belize on four occasions, most recently in 2006. Francisco admitted to last re-entering the United States around May 2010. HSI special agents assigned to the gang unit arrested Francisco at his Chicago residence Oct. 26 after an investigation identified him as a previously deported aggravated felon. After he completes his prison sentence Francisco will be turned over to ICE once again for his fifth deportation.

"This is an excellent example of how HSI leverages its immigration authorities to keep dangerous individuals off our streets," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago. "Francisco is a violent gang member who has ignored repeated warnings not to return to this country. This sentence sends a clear message that those who defy a deportation order will be held accountable for their actions."

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick McKenna, Northern District of Illinois, prosecuted the case.

For more information, visit www.ice.gov.