NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that JULIO VALERIO-SENTENO (“VALERIO-SENTENO”) , age 39, pled guilty on March 30, 2026 to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, VALERIO-SENTENO was previously removed from the United States on July 1, 2011, February 27 2012, and October 2, 2013. He was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on May 15, 2025 and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the United States. United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe accepted the guilty plea and scheduled a sentencing date of May 21, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Duane A. Evans of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Louisiana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.