Today, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Martin Martinez-Ballinas, a 38-year-old Mexican national, to 37 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States following a previous felony conviction. This is to be followed by one year of supervised release. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Baltimore Field Office.
Martinez-Ballinas had pled guilty to the charge in January 2025. According to court records, he had two previous deportations from the United States. In 2017, before his first deportation, he was convicted in Maryland for a felony automotive offense related to a traffic accident that resulted in the death of an off-duty Marine. He was deported for the first time in 2020 after serving his sentence.
In 2021, following his first deportation, Martinez-Ballinas was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol for attempting to cross into Texas. He was convicted of illegal reentry in the Southern District of Texas and served a 15-month prison sentence. After his second deportation to Mexico in October 2022, he reentered the U.S. illegally in December 2023 and was apprehended by ICE in Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the efforts of ICE-ERO in the investigation. She also acknowledged the contributions of Department of Justice Trial Attorney Christopher Ting and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rosenthal in prosecuting the case.
More information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office is available at their official website.