Mexican man, currently imprisoned for a fatal DUI, federally indicted in Southeast Texas for illegal re-entry

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 41-year-old Mexican citizen has been indicted for immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

Vicente Gonzalez-Rico was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Oct. 2, 2019, charging him with unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

According to documents filed in court, on Jan. 26, 2017, was arrested for intoxication manslaughter for an incident which occurred on May 30, 2009 in Lufkin, Texas. While processing the defendant, it was discovered that he had previously been deported from the United States in 2005. Gonzalez-Rico was convicted of three counts of intoxication manslaughter in state district court in Lufkin, Texas and sentenced to 18 years in prison on Oct. 17, 2017.

If convicted, Gonzalez-Rico faces up to two years in federal prison and deportation.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security/Enforcement Removal Operations and the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.

It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.