Oscar Eduardo Ortega, the Mexican national who's criminal background includes a DUI accident that claimed the lives of two teenagers, has been handed a federal prison sentence of nearly four years for illegal reentry into the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Ortega, a former Garden Grove resident, had been deported twice before, and his return to U.S. soil after being removed resulted in this latest legal repercussion.
The 44-year-old Ortega previously faced a 10-year sentence in California state prison following his conviction for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, his release coming early after serving less than four years out of the 10-year sentence, Ortega found himself back in federal custody since this past July; his rap sheet is extensive with nine arrests and multiple felony convictions spanning grand theft to false imprisonment by violence. United States District Judge John W. Holcomb imposed the 46-month sentence after Ortega pleaded guilty to one count of being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal.
In a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli criticized the state's leniency, asserting that "Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state of California failed the families of the two victims this defendant killed in a DUI accident," and expressed a measure of solace for the families of the victims, hoping that Ortega's federal sentencing might bring them healing.
The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and brought to prosecution by Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence E. Kole of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at curbing illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations their aim is to reinforce the protection of local communities from violent criminal elements. Incident inquiries or additional information can be sought from the Public Information Officer, Ciaran McEvoy, whose contact details have been made available by the prosecuting office.
