Honduran aggravated felon in Louisiana pleads guilty to illegally reentering US
SHREVEPORT, La. – A Honduran criminal alien with multiple violent felony convictions, who was previously removed from the United States in 2006, pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge Tuesday of illegally re-entering the country following removal.
Timoteo Gonzalez-Leiva, 42, of Honduras, was encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in January following the completion of his prison sentence for a battery conviction in Caddo Parish. Shreveport Police arrested Gonzalez-Levia in October 2014 and he was subsequently convicted of simple battery. Upon the completion of his jail sentence in January the Caddo Parish Sheriff notified ICE of his pending release.
Gonzalez-Leiva faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and removal from the country. His sentencing date on the illegal re-entry charge is set for Nov. 2.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr is prosecuting the case on behalf of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Stephanie A. Finley.
Gonzalez-Levia was previously convicted of felony robbery in Delaware in 1998 and sentenced to two years in prison. He was removed to Honduras following the completion of his prison sentence. Gonzalez-Levia subsequently unlawfully re-entered the United States numerous times and was removed again in April 2004 and February 2006.
“This case is an excellent example of ICE prioritizing its enforcement efforts to identify and detain convicted criminals and individuals who pose a serious threat to public safety,” said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director David Rivera.
In fiscal year 2014, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. In addition to convicted criminals, the agency's enforcement priorities include those apprehended while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, illegal re-entrants — individuals who returned to the United States after being previously removed by ICE — and immigration fugitives. In fiscal year 2014, 98 percent of ICE removals met these priorities.
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