BILLINGS – A Mexican national who illegally reentered the U.S. after having been previously removed at least once was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Saul Partida-Ventura, 50, pleaded guilty in August 2026 to illegally reentering the United States.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement encountered Partida-Ventura in Billings on July 9, 2026, when they pulled over a dark-colored Nissan Frontier with Nevada license plates. Partida-Ventura, who was in the vehicle, had previously been identified as potentially being in the country illegally. Partida-Ventura has been previously removed from the United States four times. Law enforcement detained him and confirmed he was a Mexican citizen who had been removed from the U.S. in 2011.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Montana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.