Leonardo Mendoza-Zavala, a 44-year-old citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced to seven months in prison for illegal reentry into the United States. The sentencing took place before United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Mendoza-Zavala had previously been convicted in Texas for attempting to take a weapon from an officer, resisting arrest, and making terroristic threats. He was removed from the country on January 6, 2020, via Laredo, Texas. Following his removal, he returned to the United States without legal authorization.
On June 21, 2025, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mendoza-Zavala in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The arrest occurred in the parking lot of a motel.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations along with the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford prosecuted the case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiate 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
