A Mexican national, Heladio Ruchon Rocha-Tellez, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States, as announced by Abe McGlothin, Jr., Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
Rocha-Tellez, aged 31, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after removal. U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone rendered the sentence on April 22, 2025.
The court was informed that on December 19, 2023, local law enforcement responded to a burglary at a Beaumont laundromat. Rocha-Tellez was found behind the counter with cash visible in his pocket. Immigration records showed that Rocha-Tellez was a Mexican national previously removed from the U.S. in 2015 and twice in 2022.
Separate from the immigration charges, Rocha-Tellez was also convicted of burglary in Jefferson County court and sentenced to 12 months on November 19, 2024. Judge Crone ordered the sentences to run consecutively, meaning Rocha-Tellez will serve his federal sentence following the completion of his state sentence.
This case is tied to Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and crime. The operation consolidates the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood to strengthen efforts against transnational criminal organizations.
The case's investigation involved the Department of Homeland Security and the Beaumont Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy L. Coleman prosecuted the case with assistance from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.