Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United States as an Aggravated Felon

A man who illegally reentered the United States from Mexico after having been convicted of an aggravated felony and twice being convicted of illegal reentry as an aggravated felon pled guilty today in federal court in Sioux City.

Jesus Gamboa-Brambila, age 51, from Mexico but residing in Sheldon, Iowa, was convicted of illegal reentry as an aggravated felon.

At the plea hearing, Gamboa-Brambila admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been previously removed from the United States on August 4, 2018, and after having been convicted of at least one aggravated felony offense. That offense was a conviction in 1991 for Shooting at an Inhabited Dwelling in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, California. Gamboa-Brambila had been federally convicted in the Northern District of Iowa in 2004 and 2014 of illegal reentry as an aggravated felon. Most recently, Gamboa-Brambila was found in O'Brien County on March 21, 2026, after he was arrested for domestic abuse assault - first offense, and criminal mischief. While in custody, immigration officials confirmed his identity and that he was a citizen of Mexico and had previously been deported from the United States to Mexico four times.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Gamboa-Brambila remains in custody pending sentencing. He faces a possible sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 26-CR-04012. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.