A Mexican national previously deported after being convicted of human smuggling pleaded guilty this week in federal court in Springfield to being “unlawfully present” in the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois said 43-year-old Aureliano Vazquez-Ontiberos pleaded guilty on Wednesday.
He was arrested during a traffic stop in Sangamon County in May.
Vazquez-Ontiberos was convicted in Texas of human smuggling in 2011 and 2016.
He remains in custody with sentencing scheduled for December 8 in Springfield. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
