Mexican national sentenced

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A citizen and national of Mexico was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to the charge of illegal re-entry after deportation. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Valentin Cruz-Santos, 39, was removed from the United States on three prior occasions, most recently on Oct. 2, 2008. On July 29, 2011, Cruz-Santos was apprehended in Medina, N.Y., by officers with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) while they were in the process of locating another federal fugitive. It was determined that once again, Cruz-Santos did not make a legal entry into the United States.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr.