NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey man who federal authorities say was previously removed from the United States 12 times has been indicted on a charge of illegal re-entry after a prior felony conviction, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Aedo Cruz Gonzalez, 40, a Mexican citizen, was arraigned Wednesday on a one-count indictment charging him with illegal re-entry by a convicted felon.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cruz Gonzalez was removed from the United States to Mexico 12 times between 2011 and September 2024 after unlawfully entering the country.
Federal prosecutors said Cruz Gonzalez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Feb. 6, 2012, to a felony charge of illegal re-entry into the United States and was sentenced to five months in prison. He was removed to Mexico for a third time in August 2012.
Authorities allege that after that removal, Cruz Gonzalez illegally re-entered the United States on nine additional occasions and was removed to Mexico each time.
According to prosecutors, following his most recent removal on Sept. 24, 2024, Cruz Gonzalez again unlawfully re-entered the United States. He was later arrested by the Hillsborough Police Department on Dec. 7, 2024, and charged with several offenses, including exhibiting a false motor vehicle insurance card and operating a motor vehicle while his license was suspended. Federal officials said he was convicted on those two charges in Somerset County Superior Court on May 22, 2025.
If convicted of the federal charge, Cruz Gonzalez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
