Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Moises Ramiro Lopez-Zenteno, a 37-year-old Mexican national, will serve 18 months in federal prison after admitting he illegally reentered the United States. John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “This violent criminal illegal alien has learned that we have zero tolerance for criminality of any kind in the Northern District of Florida, and he’ll see the inside of a federal prison before being removed from our country. Keeping our citizens safe from the predations of violent criminal illegal aliens, like this defendant, is of paramount importance, and my office stands ready to aggressively prosecute cases like this to ensure our immigration laws are fully enforced.”
Gainesville arrest led to federal case
According to details from the original arrest, a Gainesville Police Department officer was called to Bella Vista Village at 110 NW 39th Avenue at about 11:50 p.m. on September 27, 2025. The victim reported that she and Lopez-Zenteno began arguing after she returned home from visiting a neighbor, and that he grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her into her residence.
Once inside, the argument escalated, the victim told police. She said Lopez-Zenteno broke a mirror, attempted to make her drink from a full beer bottle, and slapped her.
The victim said Lopez-Zenteno then went into the kitchen. She ran outside toward the neighbor’s home, but Lopez-Zenteno followed her while holding a knife in a raised position. The neighbor called 911, and Lopez-Zenteno went back inside the residence.
A witness gave police a similar account, telling the responding officer that he saw Lopez-Zenteno pull the victim into her home. A short time later, the witness said, both came running outside, with Lopez-Zenteno holding a knife raised in his hand.
Court records show that Lopez-Zenteno, a citizen of Mexico, left the United States in 2016 after an Immigration Judge issued an Order of Removal. Following his 2025 arrest in Gainesville, he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
ICE and Gainesville Police investigated the case
“Criminal illegal aliens who have previously been removed from the United States and choose to illegally return and commit additional crimes against our citizens show a blatant disregard for our laws,” said ICE Miami Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “ICE remains committed to our mission of public safety by identifying, arresting, and removing those who pose a danger to the public, especially those who have demonstrated violent behavior.”
The investigation was handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler Fleming prosecuted the federal illegal reentry case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
