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United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana lists federal immigration prosecutions, one from Bartholomew Co.

Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 1:05 AM

By Staff report

Six illegal immigrants, all convicted felons, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry in the Southern District of Indiana.

The prosecutions, which involved defendants arrested in Bartholomew, Hamilton, Henry, and Marion counties, stemmed from separate investigations. Each case was handled independently.

Defendant

Sentence

Prior Removals

Previous Convictions

Francisco Cervantes-Venegas, 36, of Mexico

4 years, 9 months’ imprisonment

2 years of supervised release

January 2015 & April 2017

2010

Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License

 

2013

Intentionally Operating a Motor Vehicle without Ever Receiving a License

 

2014

Criminal Confinement of a Victim Under 14 (Vehicle Used, Bodily Injury); Domestic Battery Committed in the Presence of a Child Under 16.

 

2022

Domestic Battery; Criminal Confinement with bodily injury; Strangulation; Sexual Battery by force or Imminent Threat

German Lazo Mendez, 36, of Honduras

 

4 years, 3 months’ imprisonment

2 years of supervised release

September 2015 &

May 2019

Illegal Reentry; Armed Robbey; & Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury.

Giovani Ramirez-Soto, 33, of Mexico

 

2.5 years’ imprisonment

2 years of supervised release

April 2013 & September 2020

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 1 Kilogram or more of Heroin and 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine; Illegal Reentry.

 

Pending charges in Marion County: Operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license and leaving the scene of an accident.

 

Bonifacio Ortiz-Pena, 40, of Mexico

 

1.5 years’ imprisonment

2 years of supervised release

June 2005,

February 2020, & March 2020

 

Illegal Reentry: Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person; Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated

Nelgio Tovias DeLeon-Perez, 46, of Mexico

 

1 year, 2 months’ imprisonment

3 years of supervised release

April 2008 & April 2014

Transportation of Illegal Aliens and Aiding and Abetting; Illegal Reentry (x2); Intentionally Operating a Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a License

Mauricio Toto-Xolo, 32, of Mexico

 

Time Served (11 months)

 

November 2011 & March 2016

Illegal Reentry

At the time the defendants entered their guilty pleas, they acknowledged that upon completion of their sentence, they will be subject to removal from the United States. Conditions of supervision require the defendants to surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon release from federal custody.

“Violent criminal aliens who repeatedly violate our immigration laws and endanger our communities must face real consequences,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Through Operation Take Back America, we are unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal aliens and ensure that those who threaten our security face swift and decisive justice.”

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated these cases. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judges Matthew P. Brookman, Jane Magnus-Stinson, and Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.