CHICAGO — A 38-year-old Mexican national with five prior deportations and a criminal record spanning aggravated assault, aggravated DUI, and escape has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for unlawfully re-entering the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced.
Manuel Alberto Cortes Cuan was arrested in Lyons, Ill., after police received a report that a vehicle linked to an ongoing theft investigation had been located in a residential area. When officers approached the vehicle and attempted to detain Cortes Cuan, he “vigorously resisted arrest, causing injuries to himself and two police officers,” according to the Department of Justice.
Cortes Cuan had been deported from the United States on five occasions, each following criminal convictions sustained while he was unlawfully present. His prior offenses of conviction included theft, escape, trespassing, aggravated assault, and aggravated DUI.
Cortes Cuan pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of unlawful re-entry after removal. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt imposed the 14-month sentence. “The conviction subjects Cortes Cuan to removal from the United States,” the Justice Department stated.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Homeland Security Investigations and the Lyons, Ill., Police Department provided assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly represented the government.
Unlawful re-entry after removal is prosecuted under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, which carries enhanced penalties for defendants with prior felony convictions. Cortes Cuan faces deportation proceedings following completion of his federal sentence.