Sentencing for illegal reentry includes new allegations of sexual misconduct

HOUSTON - A 31-year-old Mexican national with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally entering the country without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Luis Alfonso Murillo-Soriano pleaded guilty March 8, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Murillo-Soriano to serve 130 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard evidence that Murillo-Soriano had allegedly sexually assaulted another inmate and helped bring contraband into the facility while in custody. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of Murillo-Soriano's three drug convictions and expressed concern over his commission of another serious offense after illegally re-entering the United States.

Murillo-Soriano has multiple felony drug convictions involving heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine as well as driving while intoxicated. He was first removed in 2018 and returned unlawfully two other times.

Authorities discovered him after he was apprehended in December 2019 for his involvement in distributing four kilograms of heroin. Murillo-Soriano had just been deported at the end of October 2019. Further, he returned illegally to the United States while on supervised release for a previous serious drug trafficking charge.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation along with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Lu is prosecuting the case.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.