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03/24/2006
Traffic stop leads to ICE indictment
By: Jason Vallee , Special to the Post

A routine traffic stop for a suspected DUI has led a federal grand jury in Bridgeport to return an indictment charging Alexander Mateo with illegally re-entering the United States subsequent to two prior deportations, as well charging him with improper entry.

Mateo was stopped by Wethersfield police at approximately 3:20 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2005, after an officer spotted his vehicle traveling at slow speeds and swerving over the yellow center line, said Lt. Andrew Power of the Wethersfield Police Department.

Upon being pulled over, he proceeded to give the officer several false names before the department was able to identify the suspect as Mateo by using an old mug shot from the Department of Correction. Mateo first introduced himself to police as Wilson Ortiz, Power said, but also goes by the aliases of Daniel Enrique Maldonado Lara, Jose Enrique Espinoza and John Espinoza.

After recognizing the suspect as a possible illegal immigrant, Power said Wethersfield police contacted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency regarding the arrest.

Upon further investigation, ICE discovered that Mateo had previously been deported to Mexico on March 27, 1995, and to Honduras on Jan. 4, 2001. The indictment also stated that he has been arrested and convicted on two different occasions for the possession and sale of marijuana.
Kevin O'Connor, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, added that one of the convictions was due to the violation of several drug trafficking laws in the state of California.

The defendant was charged with illegal entry and re-entry, because after being deported he re-entered the country without obtaining or requesting the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or his successor, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security or through an application for admission into the United States, the indictment said.

The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said that the case was investigated by Special Agents of ICE and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Brown Jr. and Krishna Patel.

The indictment is only an official arraignment of charges, O'Connor added in a press release, and is not evidence of guilt. Mateo will withstand a fair trial in the U.S. Justice System before any conviction or sentence is announced.

The office of the United States attorney for the district of Connecticut said that if convicted, Mateo will face a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of illegal re-entry and up to six months in jail with a maximum fine of $5,000 for the charge of improper entry.