Federal Judge Cites Repeated Immigration Violations & Prior DUI Convictions In Six-Month Sentence

Sunday, February 15, 2026, 6:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HARRISBURG, PA.- A 47-year-old Mexican national was sentenced to six months in federal prison after admitting he illegally reentered the United States following a prior deportation, federal prosecutors announced.

     According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Jorge Alberto Santamaria-Cortes, who was residing in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, at the time of his arrest, was sentenced by Karoline Mehalchick, a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The sentence was imposed for illegal reentry after removal, a federal offense.

     Court records show that Santamaria-Cortes was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 22, 2025. He subsequently pleaded guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States after having previously been deported.

     Brian D. Miller, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, stated that Santamaria-Cortes most recently returned to the United States sometime after his deportation in July 2014. Authorities again encountered him in the country following his arrest on October 10, 2025, on unrelated state charges in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Those state charges remain pending.

     During sentencing, Judge Mehalchick explained that she imposed a sentence at the high end of the applicable federal sentencing guideline range. The court cited Santamaria-Cortes’ repeated instances of illegal reentry into the United States and his criminal history, which includes three convictions for driving under the influence committed while he was unlawfully present in the country between 1998 and 2011.

The judge emphasized the defendant’s demonstrated lack of respect for U.S. immigration and criminal laws and underscored the need for the sentence to serve as a deterrent to others who might consider committing similar offenses. The court also weighed other statutory sentencing factors, including public safety considerations and the defendant’s pattern of recidivism.

     The investigation leading to the federal charge was conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, the immigration enforcement arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Francis P. Sempa, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Editor’s Note:

Federal criminal cases involve allegations that have been proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt or admitted through a guilty plea. This article was written by Art Fletcher, Executive Editor, and is based on official statements and court records released by federal authorities. State charges referenced in this report are separate matters and remain pending unless and until resolved in court.