Oct. 31, 2018 By Christian Murray
A 38-year-old Jackson Heights man was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison today for illegally reentering the United States after being deported twice.
Rogelio Mendez, a Mexican citizen who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape last year, was initially deported in 2004 after serving a two-year prison term for possessing a loaded firearm in Queens, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the East District.
He illegally reentered the country in 2005 and was deported again in 2009 again.
Mendez illegally returned in 2010 and then on Sept. 11, 2016, while employed at a restaurant on Long Island, raped a woman at a home that he shared with his co-workers. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for the rape.
He was sentenced this morning to 57 months for illegally reentering the country following deportation. The 57 months are to be served after his 30 months for the rape conviction are complete.
“Mendez repeatedly showed contempt for the rule of law by reentering the United States twice after he was first deported,” said United States Attorney Richard Donoghue. “The Department of Justice has made criminal immigration enforcement a priority, and today’s sentence should serve as a deterrent to others who would illegally return to the United States after having been deported.”
