Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A man described by federal prosecutors as both a Mexican national and a “repeat human smuggler” is likely going to go to prison for an immigration violation.
That’s because the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Aureliano Vazquez-Ontiberos, 43, admitted back in May he re-entered the United States illegally, and could face as much as 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced in December. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to being Unlawfully Present in the United States.
Prosecutors say police encountered Vazquez-Ontiberos during a traffic stop in Sangamon County, but they did not say where.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Vazquez-Ontiberos was convicted in 2011 in the Southern District of Texas federal court of human smuggling, and of the same crime in 2016 in the Western District of Texas. He says those result in enhanced penalties for the immigration violation.
Vazquez-Ontiberos is currently in the custody of U. S. Marshals.
