Mexican citizen arrested for DWI in Dunklin County pleads guilty to entering country illegally

ST. LOUIS -- A Mexican citizen pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful entry into the United States, according to United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway.

Carlos Gomez-Perez, 39, pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawful entry into the United States. He appeared before United States District Judge Charles A. Shaw.

On Jan. 5, 2008, Gomez-Perez was arrested in Dunklin County, Mo., for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was later identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as Carlos Gomez-Perez, a Mexican citizen illegally in the United States.

Gomez-Perez was transported to the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in St. Louis, where an INS Database check revealed he had a prior immigration history in the name of Carlos Gomez-Perez and that he was born in Mexico.

Upon review of his INS file, ICE learned that Gomez-Perez had previously been deported from the United States to Mexico. On July 2, 2001, he was convicted of attempting to enter the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and was sentenced to probation without supervision for a period of five years.

Gomez-Perez now faces a maximum punishment of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been set for September 24, 2008.