Mexican National Living in Connecticut Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

A Mexican national was sentenced Monday, March 26, to 42 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release, stemming from a previous federal conviction in 2006 for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The sentence is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Adalberto Arteaga-Rodriguez, 35, of Mexico, was encountered by ERO officers May 30, 2009, after having been deported three times in 2001, 2002 and 2007. Arteaga-Rodriguez's deportations in 2001 and 2002 resulted from his 1998 conviction for first degree unlawful restraint and fourth degree sexual assault.

In 2005, after he illegally returned to the United States, Arteaga-Rodriguez was charged in the District of Connecticut with illegal reentry. Arteaga-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 23 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was released from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in February 2007 and was deported to Mexico March 17, 2007.

On May 30, 2009, Arteaga-Rodriguez was arrested by the New Haven (Conn.) Police Department after he was found in a vehicle with a .22 caliber rifle on his lap. Arteaga-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a firearm and sentenced July 22, 2009, in New Haven Superior Court to five years of incarceration, suspended after two.

On April 29, 2010, Arteaga-Rodriguez pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of unlawful presence of a deported alien, and also admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release from his 2006 conviction for illegal reentry.

Today, Arteaga-Rodriguez was sentenced to 30 months in prison for the illegal reentry and a consecutive 12-month term in prison for violating his supervised release. Arteaga-Rodriguez has been detained since his May 2009 arrest.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater, District of Connecticut.