RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Mexican national who had been deported from the United States twice has been sentenced in federal court after illegally reentering the country.
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons says 36-year-old Angel Takashi Cano-Meza was sentenced August 17th after pleading guilty to illegal reentry following deportation. Chief U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange sentenced Cano-Meza to time served, and he is scheduled to be deported to Mexico.
Court records show Cano-Meza was previously deported in 2022 and again in 2024. Federal authorities say he came to the attention of immigration officials after his arrest in Pennington County in June on allegations including possessing a fictitious driver’s license, impersonating another person, and having an open container in a motor vehicle.
Investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement later confirmed his identity and prior deportation history.
Federal law makes it a felony for a previously deported individual to reenter the United States without government authorization. The case was investigated by ICE and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
