Mexican Citizen Charged in Federal Court with Illegal Reentry into the United States, Drug Distribution and Firearms Charges

Matthew Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a nine-count indictment charging Jose Facio-Santos (age 39), a Mexican citizen, with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, § 1326(a); three counts of the unlawful possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 922(g)(5); three counts of drug distribution in violation of Title 21, United States Code, §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and Title 18, United States Code, § 2; and two counts of aiding women traveling across state lines for the purposes of prostitution, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, §§ 2421 and 2.

If convicted on the illegal reentry charge, Facio-Santos faces a maximum of 2 years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine. If convicted of the firearms charges, he faces 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each count. He faces 20 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine on each of the distribution counts. And if convicted of the prostitution charges, he faces 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each count.

The case was investigated by Milwaukee Police Department, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, 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.

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.