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Date: Sept. 2, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Ten illegal immigrants, most convicted felons, have been sentenced after pleading guilty to illegal reentry in the Southern District of Indiana. The prosecutions, involving defendants arrested in Clay, Dubois, Hamilton, Hendricks, and Marion counties, stemmed from separate investigations. Each case was handled independently and concluded between March and August 2026.
| Defendant | Sentence | Prior Removals | Prior Convictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abemael Casanova-Martinez of Mexico | Time Served | December 2012 & May 2015 | Illegal entry (x2) |
| Gregorio Castro Carbajal of Mexico | 15 months imprisonment 3 years supervised release | April 2014 & September 2023 | Driving under the influence of alcohol, resisting a public officer, use of a communication facility in facilitating the commission of felonies under the Controlled Substances Act, public intoxication |
| Juan Carlos Cordova-Saravia of Mexico | 14 months’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release | April 2010 & November 2019 | Unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the United States |
| Nelson Javier Hernandez-Romero of Honduras | Time Served 1 year of supervised release | June 2023 | |
| Jorge Martinez -Guerrero of Mexico | Time Served 1 year of supervised release | January 1998, April 2006, May 2008, & April 2014 | Negligent vehicular manslaughter |
| Jesus Alberto Mota Limon of Mexico | 3 years’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release | November 2013, January 2024, & May 2024 (x2) | Possession of methamphetamine, intimidation, & illegal re-entry of a removed alien |
| Audel Trujillo Reyes of Mexico | Time served 3 years supervised release | March 2007, May 2009, March 2012, April 2012, August 2019, September 2019, December 2019, & April 2021 | Illegal reentry |
| Mario Edgardo Rivas-Hernandez of Honduras | Time Served 6 months of supervised release | March 2006 & March 2007 | Dealing in cocaine |
| Jose Francisco Rodriguez Escalera of Mexico | Time Served | June 2002, August 2009, September 2016, & November 2016 | Hit and run, possession of cocaine (x2), diving without a valid license, & driving under the influence of alcohol (x2) |
| Jorge Martinez -Guerrero of Mexico | Time Served 1 year of supervised release | January 1998, April 2006, May 2008, & April 2014 | Negligent vehicular manslaughter |
In 2014, the El Salvadorian National Police identified Isau Palencia-Martinez as a member of Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13.
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.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Wood, Matthew Miller, MaryAnn Mindrum, Cristina Caraballo-Colon, Adam Eakman, Peter Blackett, and Zachary Yauger, who prosecuted these cases.
“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 Crossroads HSTF, we are unleashing the full force of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of violent illegal aliens and ensure that those who threaten our security face swift and decisive justice.”
These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Crossroads of America comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indiana National Guard, Indiana State Police, HIDTA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Plainfield Police Department, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.