5 sentenced for illegal re-entry into the U.S.

SANDUSKY — A federal judge recently sentenced five people, including two who were arrested in Ottawa County by the U.S. Border Patrol's Sandusky Bay Station, for illegally re-entering the U.S. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio noted that the five cases are separate and are not related, according to a news release from the U.S. Northern District Court of Ohio. All five cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice to address illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and combat violent crime. Of the five sentenced, two were located in Ottawa County: • Francisco Constancio-Mariscal, 38, a citizen of Mexico, was found on Jan. 4 in Port Clinton. He was sentenced to time served and had previously been removed from the U.S. on at least two occasions with the most recent being April 28, 2011. • Guillermo Gutiérrez-Rivas, 36, a citizen of Mexico, was found on Dec. 19, 2025, in Benton Township. He was sentenced to time served and had previously been removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion, with the most recent being June 29, 2024. The following three men were also sentenced for illegal re-entry: • Oscar Mendoza, 52, a citizen of Honduras, was found on Jan. 12 in Maumee, Lucas County. He was sentenced to time served and had previously been removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion, with the most recent being Jan. 17, 2008. • Alvaro Veliz Gonzalez, 35, a citizen of Guatemala, was found on Dec. 8, 2025, in Toledo. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and had previously been removed from the U.S. on at least four occasions, with the most recent being Oct. 11, 2021. • Marcos Alberto Bardales-Lopez, 27, a citizen of Honduras, was found on Jan. 12 in Maumee, Lucas County. He was sentenced to time served and had previously been removed from the U.S. on at least one occasion, with the most recent being Dec. 6, 2019. Additionally, Jhofran Andres Laya-Gutierrez, 29, a citizen of Venezuela, was sentenced to three years in prison after previously pleading guilty to misuse of a social security number, falsification of records and assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer.