Mexican citizen gets 8 months in prison for returning to Monroe County

A Mexican citizen is headed to federal prison after his sentence on Wednesday for returning to the U.S. and Monroe County after he was removed 15 years earlier.

Rafael Cruz-Hernandez, 39, was arrested in December 2023 in Sparta on a domestic abuse charge.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Madison, it was the second arrest on domestic charges.

Cruz-Hernandez was sent back to Mexico in 2010 after a conviction for 3rd Degree Sexual Assault in Monroe County.

In court on Wednesday, Judge William Conley sentenced Cruz-Hernandez to eight months in prison for illegally reentering the country. He pleaded guilty to the charge in February.

A news release on the sentencing stated that Judge Conley weighed Cruz-Hernandez’s criminal history versus his consistent employment and support from family and friends.

In his comments, Judge Conley said that he doesn’t have the authority to release Cruz-Hernandez back into the community and that he poses a risk of unlawfully returning back into the U.S.

Higher penalties are possible if he does return to the country, the judge cautioned.

Online court records show that Cruz-Hernandez received fines in 2022 and 2023 after pleading guilty to domestic related Disorderly Conduct charges.