Migrant pleads guilty to illegal reentry after aggravated felony

Altagracios De La Cruz-calderon, 60, who was living in Oneida County, pleaded guilty on March 6 to illegally reentering the United States after previously being convicted of an aggravated felony.

As part of his guilty plea, De La Cruz-calderon admitted that he had been convicted of federal drug and gun charges in the 1990s and spent several years in federal prison. After his prison sentence, he was deported to the Dominican Republic. De La Cruz-calderon admitted that, after he was deported, he returned to the United States illegally and was later found in New Hartford, New York.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2024, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. De La Cruz-calderon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of three years, to begin after the imposition of any term of imprisonment.

A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Buffalo, announced the news.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE-ERO investigated the case with the help of the United States Marshall Service and the New Hartford Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck.