Two People from Mexico Indicted for Larceny

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Ismael Espinoza-Ortiz, a/k/a Misael Sereseres Ortega, age 37, and Alejandra Corral Madrid, age 26, both of Mexico, appeared before U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on March 6, 2013, and pled guilty to the indictment that charged them with bank larceny. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; an additional two years of supervised release upon revocation; and $100 to the Victim Assistance Fund. Restitution may be imposed.

The charge stems from an incident on November 5, 2012, wherein Sereseres Ortega and Corral Madrid entered the BankWest branch office in Pierre, South Dakota, and Sereseres Ortega handed the bank teller $1,535 in small bills and requested the teller change the bills into larger ones. Corral Madrid stood next to Sereseres Ortega at the teller window and witnessed the interaction. While the teller walked several feet from her station to use a bill counting machine, Sereseres Ortega reached his left hand under the glass and stole property and money belonging to and in the care, custody, control, management, and possession of BankWest in the amount of $2,070. After taking the property and money belonging to BankWest, Sereseres Ortega and Corral Madrid exited the bank and fled Pierre. They were arrested later that day in Campbell County, South Dakota.

Sereseres Ortega also pled guilty to the indictment that charged him with illegal re-entry after deportation. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; an additional two years of supervised release upon revocation; and $100 to the Victim Assistance Fund.

That charge stems from incidents wherein Sereseres Ortega has previously been ordered to deport from the United States. He was ordered to deport to Mexico on June 18, 1995, and was deported on January 19, 1996, through El Paso, Texas. He was arrested by immigration officials on October 6, 1997, and was again removed to Mexico on October 9, 1997. He was arrested again by immigration officials on February 17, 2010, and deported to Mexico on February 23, 2010. At no time since his initial deportation in 1996 has Sereseres Ortega requested or been granted permission to reenter the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges is prosecuting the cases. Both defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing, which has been set for May 29, 2013.