A Mexican national previously deported after child sex convictions has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally reentering the United States, and he is now staring down a potential 20-year prison sentence in Pensacola. Authorities say he was found in Escambia County in November 2025 after slipping back into the country following his 2019 removal, and he is scheduled to be sentenced March 11, 2026, at the federal courthouse in Pensacola.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, 45-year-old Marco Olavarrieta-Beranza, also known as Marco Leonardo Olavarrieta, admitted Tuesday to a federal illegal reentry charge and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Sentencing is set for 10:30 a.m. on March 11, 2026. U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin did not mince words, saying, “This sexual predator was previously deported after committing a heinous sex crime against a minor.” The office says the guilty plea was entered in Pensacola on January 6.
Court records show Olavarrieta-Beranza was deported in 2019 after convictions for sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14 and attempted sexual abuse of a minor under 12. He was later located in Escambia County in November 2025 after returning to the United States, local reporting indicates. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke DiSalvo is handling the prosecution, according to WEAR.
What The Charge Means
Federal illegal reentry cases like this are brought under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, a statute that lays out a range of penalties based on a person’s prior record. In plain English, the law starts with a lower maximum sentence for basic illegal reentry, then ratchets up the possible prison time for defendants who were previously removed after criminal convictions.
As explained by Cornell Law School, the statute allows a maximum sentence of up to 20 years when the earlier removal followed a conviction for an aggravated felony. Federal law explicitly includes sexual abuse of a minor in that aggravated felony category, which is how Olavarrieta-Beranza’s case ends up in the highest penalty bracket.
Next Steps
Olavarrieta-Beranza remains in federal custody while he waits for the March 11 sentencing hearing. If the judge imposes a prison term, he is expected to be removed to Mexico again after serving whatever sentence is ordered.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida says the prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that prioritizes federal cases against previously deported individuals who return and are charged with new crimes. In other words, this case is one small slice of a much broader federal push to keep repeat offenders from quietly slipping back across the border.
