A Mexican citizen residing in Maurice, Iowa, was sentenced to four years in federal prison on February 18, 2026, for illegally re-entering the United States after two prior federal immigration-related felony convictions.
Jesus Banuelos-Lepe, 49, pleaded guilty on September 30, 2025, to one count of illegal re-entry as a felon. At the time he was found in the United States, Banuelos-Lepe was also under federal supervised release from a 2023 conviction for illegal re-entry. The terms of his release required that he not illegally return to the country or commit any new law violations.
During a combined sentencing hearing on February 18, Banuelos-Lepe admitted that he had been arrested in Sioux County, Iowa, on July 20, 2025. He was charged with operating while intoxicated after being found unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle in the middle of the road following consumption of twelve beers. When booked into jail, Banuelos-Lepe provided an alias. Authorities later confirmed his true identity and determined that he had been removed from the United States five times and did not have legal permission to be present.
Banuelos-Lepe’s criminal history includes an April 2007 conviction for federal felony transportation of an illegal alien in Oregon. In that case, he smuggled two individuals from Mexico into the U.S., holding one against their will until additional smuggling fees were paid.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Banuelos-Lepe in Sioux City to two consecutive terms: twenty-four months for the latest illegal re-entry conviction and another twenty-four months for violating conditions of supervised release stemming from his 2023 conviction. This results in a total sentence of four years’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
Banuelos-Lepe remains in custody pending transfer to a federal prison.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a Department of Justice initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration and related criminal activity by leveraging resources from various task forces and programs.
