By Amber Acker,
al.com
Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 6:23 PM


U.S. Department of Justice

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- A Mexico native who at one time was granted U.S. residency but who went on see it revoked after he was convicted of crimes here now faces almost six years in federal prison for re-entering the United States.

Jose Javier Gomez-Colin, an illegal alien and convicted sex offender, was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 12, to 57 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

The report says Gomez had been granted permanent residency in the United States in 1990, but had his status revoked and was removed from the country in July 2010 after a child molestation conviction in Clayton County, Ga., in 2009. Gomez was arrested for three counts of public lewdness involving children less than eight months later in Russell County, Alabama, where had had been working illegally.

Last year Gomez pleaded guilty in October 2011 to being an illegal alien and the sentencing last week was on that plea.

In addition to the 57-month prison sentence, U.S. District Court Chief Judge W. Keith Watkins directed Gomez to serve three years of supervised release. Gomez's criminal history includes six convictions for driving under the influence, a public indecency conviction, a child molestation conviction, two prior charges for child molestation and an arrest for battery.

The case was investigated by agents from the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica A. Stump prosecuted the case.