Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the indictment of Armando Soto-Carbajal, a 29-year-old Mexican national, charged with illegal reentry into the United States after being deported four times. The indictment was returned following an encounter on June 9, 2025, when Soto-Carbajal was stopped on Interstate 95 by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
During the traffic stop, Soto-Carbajal attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended by deputies several hundred feet into a wooded area off the highway. The indictment alleges that Soto-Carbajal, a citizen of Mexico, had previously been deported from the United States on four separate occasions and had re-entered the country without obtaining the necessary consent from immigration authorities.
If convicted, Soto-Carbajal faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. This case is a part of "Operation Take Back America," a nationwide initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and enhance community safety by targeting violent crime perpetrators. The operation is supported by the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation of Soto-Carbajal’s case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney A. Tysen Duva will prosecute the case.
An indictment is a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. No additional call to action has been provided at this time.
