Four men have been charged with illegal re-entry into the United States, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. The charges stem from separate criminal complaints filed in Buffalo, New York.
Two of the defendants, Mario Dario Cao-Tzul (also known as Mario Hernandez-Lopez), 38, from Guatemala, and Miguel Ibarra-Saavedra, 43, from Mexico, face charges of illegal re-entry. This offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Law enforcement encountered Cao-Tzul during a traffic stop in Amherst on November 6, 2025. Authorities determined he was in the country without valid immigration documents and records showed he had been removed from the United States three times previously: in August 2010, April 2013, and May 2019.
Ibarra-Saavedra was stopped by law enforcement on November 3, 2025, in West Seneca while riding in a vehicle. He admitted having no legal status or documentation to remain in the country. Records indicated he had been removed twice before—in January and February of 2008.
The other two defendants are Pedri Servin Grimaldo, 53, and Luis Alberto Servin Sanchez, 47—both Mexican nationals—who were passengers during a traffic stop near a construction site in West Seneca on November 3. Neither man possessed valid immigration documents.
Servin Grimaldo has prior felony convictions from Florida dating back to August 1995 and February 1999 and was removed from the United States in October 2001. Servin Sanchez has a felony conviction from North Carolina in September 2001; he was removed multiple times—in December 2001 after his conviction; again after being found unlawfully present in August 2004 (removed September that year); and once more after being discovered unlawfully present again in October 2008 (removed December 2009).
Both men are charged with unlawful re-entry after certain convictions—a charge that carries up to ten years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
All four defendants made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and have been detained pending further proceedings.
According to the press release: “This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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 Buffalo Station under Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan W. Fitzgerald is prosecuting the case.
Authorities emphasized: “The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”Â
