A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has returned indictments against three individuals for federal criminal offenses. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations in Nashville, Police Chief Mike Canon of the Calvert City Police Department, and Sam Olson, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago at U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement.
The first individual charged is Juan Baltazar Felipe-Pedro, a 26-year-old citizen of Guatemala. He faces charges related to reentry after deportation or removal. According to the indictment, Felipe-Pedro was found in the United States on January 23, 2025, after having been previously deported on April 25, 2019. If convicted, he could receive a maximum sentence of two years in prison. This case is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE/ERO.
The other two individuals charged are Jhoandiris Jimenez-Barrio and Yirvel Yonaker Rios-Castro from Venezuela. They have been indicted for conspiracy to commit bank larceny and attempted bank larceny. On January 31, 2025, they allegedly conspired to break into an automated teller machine (ATM) at a bank in Calvert City, Kentucky. Both men entered the United States illegally according to HSI verification and face a potential maximum sentence of 50 years if convicted. Their case is being investigated by the FBI along with the Calvert City Police Department and HSI.
Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on sentencing guidelines and statutory factors as there is no parole system at the federal level.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness, Seth Hancock, and Raymond McGee are handling these prosecutions.
It should be noted that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.