A Guatemalan national named Leonardo Fernando Batz has been convicted by a jury for unlawfully reentering the United States, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced. The jury reached its decision after less than an hour of deliberation, following a trial that spanned three days.
Authorities discovered Batz in Harris County on November 23, 2023, confirming his non-citizen status in the United States and a previous order of removal by an immigration judge. Testimony revealed that Batz had been removed from the country twice before, in 2007 and 2020.
A Border Patrol agent testified about encountering Batz in the Rio Grande Valley in September 2019. Batz had entered the United States illegally by raft on the Rio Grande River and subsequently pleaded guilty to those charges. Additionally, a deportation officer recounted accompanying Batz on his removal flight from the U.S. to Guatemala in 2020.
Evidence presented at trial included Batz’s Guatemalan passport, a consulate-issued travel pass, and documents from Batz’s immigration file. A fingerprint expert confirmed Batz's identity as the individual documented in the deportation records.
The defense tried to challenge the credibility of the evidence presented by the government, but the jury dismissed those arguments, resulting in Batz's conviction.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt presided over the trial and set the sentencing for May 1, 2025. At sentencing, Batz faces a penalty of up to two years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Until then, Batz will remain in custody.
The case was investigated by Immigration Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Valenti and Carrie Law leading the prosecution.
This legal matter is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide effort by the Department of Justice. The initiative leverages resources to combat illegal immigration, eradicate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and safeguard communities from violent crime. It brings together resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.