Federal prosecutors charged a previously deported Mexican national with drug trafficking, promoting prostitution, and firearms violations.
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced on November 16 that a federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment charging Jose Facio-Santos (a 39-year-old Mexican citizen) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien, three counts of the unlawful possession of firearms, three counts of drug distribution, and two counts of aiding women traveling across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.
Matthew Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced the charges against Facio-Santos which were related to a joint investigation conducted by Milwaukee Police Department, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The U.S. Attorney said the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karine Moreno-Taxman.
Court records obtained by Breitbart News revealed that immigration officers removed Facio-Santos from the U.S. in March 2010 through the Hidalgo, Texas, port of entry. Recorded phone conversations made in a local jail while the Mexican national awaited deportation revealed that he allegedly told family members he wanted to be deported at the border to make it easier to return to the U.S. and that he intended to return after a short period of time where he would visit family members.
Court records also allege that Facio-Santos possessed and sold two semi-automatic rifles to an ATF confidential informant. Those rifles included an AK-47 style rifle and an SKS style rifle.
The drug charges stem from alleged controlled buys where the Mexican national reportedly sold cocaine and heroin to a DEA undercover officer, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted on the charge of illegal reentry, the Mexican national faces a maximum of 2 years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine, officials stated. If convicted of the firearms charges, he faces a 10-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine on each count. He also faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine for each of the distribution counts. The prostitution charges could bring an additional 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each count.
The charges are the fruit of an investigation carried out by the Milwaukee Police Department in conjunction with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations agents, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karine Moreno-Taxman.
Officials cautioned that an indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. “A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” the DOJ stated.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com.
Bob Price contributed to this article. Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Border/Cartel Chronicles. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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