New Jersey man indicted on illegal re-entry charge after 12 prior removals
Federal prosecutors allege the 40-year-old Mexican citizen unlawfully returned to the United States after being removed 12 times and after a prior felony conviction for illegal re-entry.
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A New Jersey man who federal prosecutors say was removed from the United States 12 times has been indicted on a charge of illegal re-entry after a prior felony conviction.
Aedo Cruz Gonzalez, 40, was arraigned Wednesday on a one-count indictment charging him with illegal re-entry by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Cruz Gonzalez, a citizen of Mexico, was removed from the United States to Mexico 12 times between 2011 and September 2024 after illegally entering the country.
Federal prosecutors said Cruz Gonzalez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Feb. 6, 2012, to felony illegal re-entry and was sentenced to five months in prison. He was removed to Mexico for a third time in August 2012.
Prosecutors allege he illegally re-entered the United States nine more times after that removal and was deported following each entry. After his most recent removal in September 2024, authorities say he again unlawfully returned to the United States.
According to prosecutors, Cruz Gonzalez was arrested by the Hillsborough Police Department on Dec. 7, 2024, and charged with multiple offenses, including exhibiting a false motor vehicle insurance card and driving with a suspended license. He was convicted on those two charges in Somerset County Superior Court on May 22, 2025.
If convicted of the federal charges, Cruz Gonzalez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
