Canadian man sentenced in Wisconsin to 2 years in federal prison for illegally re-entering US

MADISON, Wis. — A previously deported convicted criminal from Canada was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States.

This sentence was announced U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil, Western District of Wisconsin. This case was investigated by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Donald Splonick, 65, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced April 24 by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 24 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, which is a felony.  Splonick pleaded guilty to this charge Feb. 6.

Splonick first entered the United States with his family in 1960.  He was convicted in 1987 of armed robbery, second-degree robbery and robbery in California, Arizona and Nevada, and was sentenced to multiple prison terms.  In 1995 he was convicted of felony petty theft in California and sentenced to 32 months in prison.

Splonick was deported in July 1998.  Sometime afterwards he illegally re-entered the United States.  He was encountered by law enforcement in New York City in 2002 and was deported to Canada a second time in January 2003.

On Oct. 22, 2013, Splonick was arrested for theft in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.  On May 19, 2014, he was arrested for retail theft in Dane County, Wisconsin.  In October 2014 he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the Waukesha and Dane County convictions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger, Western District of Wisconsin, prosecuted this case.