OHIO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio has announced charges against 11 individuals for alleged federal immigration violations and secured a guilty plea in one related case.
Among those charged is Abel Velasquez-Avecedo, 29, of Mexico, who is accused of illegally possessing a firearm after allegedly firing multiple shots from a vehicle near Taco Nice restaurant in Columbus.
Authorities also found Velasquez-Avecedo with a pistol and numerous baggies of suspected cocaine. He has prior convictions for assault and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Adiel Hernandez-Orellana, 39, of El Salvador, was indicted for illegally reentering the U.S. after being convicted of sexual assault in Arkansas, an aggravated felony.
Federal authorities also charged Milton Guevara-Cruz, 31, of El Salvador, with illegal reentry. Prosecutors allege he is a member of the violent 18th Street gang and has been arrested multiple times in El Salvador.
Sergio Diego-Sevilla, 35, of Mexico, was indicted for reentering the U.S. illegally.
He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Adalberto Calixto-Tolentino, 21, who pleaded guilty last week to two counts of transporting illegal aliens.
Calixto-Tolentino admitted to receiving cash for transporting undocumented individuals from Arizona across the country.
Juan Jacobo Ortega-Guevara, 36, was charged with transporting illegal aliens after being stopped in Guernsey County with six other individuals and $3,000 in cash.
Authorities allege he was moving people from the southwestern U.S. toward the Mid-Atlantic region for payment.
Six others were charged with illegal reentry, including Carlos Garcia Carillo, 47; Saul Lopez-Rojas, 39; Gelacio Macias-Olivares, 42; Anselmo Munguia Martinez, 36; Zenaido Neri Perez, 31; and Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 28—all originally from Mexico.
Penalties for these offenses vary: illegal reentry can carry up to two years in prison, or up to 20 years for those with serious prior convictions.
Transporting undocumented immigrants carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years, and illegal possession of a firearm by a non-citizen can result in up to 15 years in prison.
The arrests and charges stem from investigations led by the Southern District of Ohio’s Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational crime.
Federal officials emphasized that charges are allegations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
