Two Mexican men living in Lake County have been sentenced in federal court for illegally entering the United States, according to releases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hammond.
Oscar Valdivia-Salas, 35, a citizen of Mexico and Merrillville resident, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a felony charge of illegal reentry, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Valdivia-Salas was sentenced to 10 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to documents in the case, Valdivia-Salas has a previous felony conviction for illegal reentry out of the Western District of Missouri and was removed from the United States in 2018.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Morgan.
In the second case, Eulises Yobani Rafael-Garcia, 28, a citizen of Mexico and Gary resident, was sentenced by Simon following his plea of guilty to the felony charge of illegal re-entry.
Rafael-Garcia, who has been in custody since his arrest on April 5, 2024, was sentenced to time served and ordered transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.
According to documents in the case, Rafael-Garcia was previously removed from the U.S. three times and has a prior conviction for misdemeanor illegal entry. Additionally, during the investigation, Rafael-Garcia admitted to having previous ties to drug trafficking organizations.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with support from the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers and assistance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the U.S. Marshals Service, Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sohn.
