Three Mexican nationals have pleaded guilty to illegal reentry into the United States and have been sentenced to time served. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo in Buffalo, New York.
Erasmo Perez Ruiz, 30, Luis Gerardo Perez Lopez, 29, and Ismael Ivan Perez Lopez, 27, all citizens of Mexico, appeared before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to enter their pleas. After sentencing, they were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, on September 30, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a vehicle carrying the three men in Amherst, New York. As the agents approached with emergency lights and sirens activated, Erasmo Perez Ruiz drove away at high speed. The pursuit ended in a retail parking lot where the three men fled into a wooded area but were quickly apprehended.
Investigators determined that Erasmo Perez Ruiz had previously been removed from the United States twice in April 2014. Luis Gerardo Perez Lopez was removed in May 2018 and Ismael Ivan Perez Lopez in May 2017.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, which is described as “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.”
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Border Patrol under Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks.
