Edwin Joel Martinez-Cruz, also known as “Edwin Joel Ibarras-Ardon” and “Edwin Ibarra,” a 38-year-old citizen of Nicaragua, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “This criminal illegal alien is precisely who Operation Take Back America is intended to protect our communities – and our country – from: a convicted human trafficker who has shown no regard for human life or our laws. Thanks to the commitment of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to unleash the full power of the Department of Justice, the citizens of the Northern District of Florida can rest assured that my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to deliver just punishments and swift deportations to criminal alien offenders like this defendant.”
According to court documents, Martinez-Cruz left the United States in 2022 after an Immigration Judge issued an Order of Removal. Less than a year later, he returned illegally and was subsequently convicted for human trafficking involving a child.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, with Assistant United States Attorney Brooke DiSalvo handling prosecution.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime as well as human and drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices nationwide that represent principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. Additional information about public court documents can be found at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more details about this office, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
