Illegal Alien Faces Sixth Deportation After Third DUI Conviction

Illegal Alien Faces Sixth Deportation After Third DUI Conviction
Mario Santos-Ochoa, an illegal alien facing deportation for a sixth, in a jail photo. (Image via Chesterfield County Jail)
Colin Fredericson
8/1/2018
Updated:
8/1/2018

An illegal alien is facing his sixth deportation after a third conviction for driving under the influence.

Mario Santos-Ochoa was pulled over on Nov. 4 after he made a sudden lane change in front of a Chesterfield County, Virginia, police officer. The officer had to slam the brakes to avoid a collision, Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Police discovered Santos-Ochoa was driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.

Despite facing five years each for felony DUI, and felony identity fraud after showing a false I.D. to police, Santos-Ochoa was sentenced on July 30 to only nine months in prison and a $1,000 fine. He would be deported afterward due to an ICE detainer, according to the Times-Dispatch.

Santos-Ochoa, 44, has lived in the United States illegally for 28 years. Every time he was deported he managed to come back illegally.

Santos-Ochoa’s attorney tried to sway the court by mentioning the mild nature of Santos-Ochoa’s previous offenses. She also attempted to frame him as a hard-working family man.

“His record has to do with alcohol and illegal re-entry,” said attorney Catherine Lawler, via Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Lawler also said that Santos-Ochoa doesn’t have an alcohol problem, and that his drinking can be attributed to differences in culture, Times-Dispatch reported.

Besides the three DUI convictions, he was convicted three times in Texas for reentry after being deported, plus convictions for giving a false identity to police.

Santos-Ochoa also has four children in the United States, all U.S. citizens ranging in age from 9 to 21.

The judge warned Santos-Ochoa in court that if he enters the United States again, he’ll need to stay in prison for the remaining length of the sentence: nine years and three months.

From NTD.tv
Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.
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