Ancelma Contreras Pano, a 40-year-old citizen of Mexico, has pleaded guilty to re-entering the United States after previously being removed. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo in Buffalo, New York.
Contreras Pano was sentenced to two months in prison and will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement following her incarceration.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith stated that Contreras Pano does not have legal status in the United States. She was deported in June 2015 but was found again by Border Patrol agents on July 31, 2025, in Erie County, New York, without documentation authorizing her presence.
“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,” according to information provided by officials.
The investigation leading to Contreras Pano’s arrest and prosecution was conducted by U.S. Border Patrol under Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks.
