Illegal Immigrant Arrested in New Hartford, Faces Federal Charges

A larceny arrest in New Hartford has lead to federal immigration charges after a Dominican Republic citizen has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after committing an aggravated felony.

According to New Hartford Police Chief Ron Fontaine, 60-year-old Altagracios De La Cruz-Calderon, who was living in Oneida County, pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally reentering the United States after previously being convicted of an aggravated felony, as reported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, (ICE-ERO) in Buffalo.

As part of his guilty plea yesterday, De La Cruz-Calderon admitted that he had been convicted of federal drug and gun charges in the 1990s and spent several years in federal prison. After his prison sentence he was deported to the Dominican Republic. De La Cruz-Calderon admitted that, after he was deported, he returned to the United States illegally and was later found in New Hartford, according to Federal officials.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 10th, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes.  De La Cruz-Calderon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of three years, to begin after the imposition of any term of imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE-ERO investigated the case with the help of the United States Marshall Service and the New Hartford Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck.