Deported felon who was arrested in Arizona sentenced to 7½ years in prison

PHOENIX – A convicted felon from Mexico who reentered the U.S. after being deported has been sentenced to over seven years in prison, federal authorities in Arizona said Monday.

Hermelindo Velazquez-Rivera, 45, received a 90-month sentence on April 18 after previously pleaded guilty to reentry of a removed alien, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said in a press release.

A Border Patrol agent arrested Velazquez-Rivera near the border in southern Arizona in May 2022, less than three months after he was deported after a prior illegal reentry conviction.

His criminal record includes two federal alien smuggling convictions and a state conviction in North Carolina for causing a death while driving under the influence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Border Patrol.

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