Maryland State Wire

Dimas Gonzalo Contreras-Nolasco, a 54-year-old Mexican citizen, has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally re-entering the United States after being deported. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, and Nikita Baker, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Baltimore.

Court records show that Contreras-Nolasco first attempted to enter the U.S. on September 18, 2005 at Del Rio, Texas. He claimed to be a U.S. citizen but could not provide any identification or documentation supporting his claim. Border Patrol officers deemed him inadmissible and processed him for expedited removal back to Mexico.

Contreras-Nolasco was found again in the United States on September 9, 2021 when he was arrested in Rockville, Maryland for rape. He later pleaded guilty on March 31, 2022 to second-degree rape and a second-degree sex offense in Montgomery County Circuit Court. He is currently serving a state sentence of 20 years with all but 10 years suspended.

Federal prosecutors said Contreras-Nolasco did not have consent from either the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to re-enter the country before his arrest in Montgomery County. For his illegal re-entry conviction, he faces up to two years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and one year of supervised release. Sentencing is set for November 14 at 1 p.m.

"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime," according to officials.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO’s role in investigating this case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaShanta Harris for prosecuting it.

More information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.