MEXICAN MAN ADMITS HE JUMPED THE BORDER

SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. -- A 34-year-old Mexican who had been residing in Scott County was sentenced to five months in prison for illegally entering the United States, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Mariano Nava-Lara had pleaded guilty earlier after he was called in for an interview by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service, said Michael Price, assistant U.S. attorney.

Nava-Lara admitted to the investigator that he had been deported twice, once in 1998 and again in March this year. However in June he crossed the border again and made his way to Scott County.

Typically, federal statutory law would dictate a 2-year prison sentence, Price said. But because Nava-Lara had no criminal history and had never been charged with an illegal border crossing, the range of punishment available to the judge was 2 to 7 months, Price said.

Although Southeast Missouri seldom has reports of illegal immigrants, Price said about five cases over the past two years is an increase for the region.