Toledo, Ohio – Five individuals from Honduras and Mexico are facing federal charges for violating U.S. immigration laws after being apprehended in different cities across northern Ohio. A federal grand jury returned indictments this week, with charges ranging from illegal reentry to possession of fraudulent identification documents.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Marcos Bardales-Lopez, 26; Rigoberto Gomez-Arguijo, 45; and Oscar Mendoza, 52 — all citizens of Honduras — were charged with illegal reentry after removal, a violation of Title 8 U.S. Code 1326. Each was found in the United States without proper authorization or the consent of either the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, following previous deportations.
Bardales-Lopez was discovered in Maumee, Ohio (Lucas County) on January 12, after previously being deported on December 6, 2019. Gomez-Arguijo was located in Marion (Marion County) on January 8, with his most recent removal occurring on October 28, 2010. Mendoza, also found in Maumee on January 12, had been deported most recently on January 17, 2008.
Fraudulent Identification Charges
Two other individuals face separate charges involving fraudulent documentation. Jimy Antonio Portillo-Ramirez, 23, of Honduras, and Jose Alfredo Reyes-Gonzalez, 33, of Mexico, were both charged with two counts each of Possession of a Fraudulent Identification Document. Portillo-Ramirez was arrested in Vickery, Ohio (Sandusky County) on January 6, while Reyes-Gonzalez was taken into custody in Oak Harbor, Ohio (Ottawa County) on January 18.
These arrests and subsequent indictments were the result of investigations conducted by U.S. Border Patrol’s Sandusky Bay Station and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Operation Take Back America
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The prosecutions are being led by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava Rotell Dustin, Dexter L. Phillips, and Frank H. Spryszak.
These cases highlight continued efforts by federal law enforcement to track, detain, and prosecute individuals with previous deportations or fraudulent identification violations, reinforcing the U.S. government’s position on illegal reentry and documentation offenses.
