Felon setenced to federal prison for illegal re-entry (Idaho Press-Tribune)

Felon setenced to federal prison for illegal re-entry

Idaho Press-Tribune Staff
newsroom@idahopress.com
Friday, January 23rd, 2009

BOISE -- Rafael Madrigal, 50, a Mexican national who was living illegally in the United States, will serve 130 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.

Madrigal was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill. He will be deported when his sentence is complete.

Madrigal was arrested in March 2008 by the Nampa Police Department following a traffic stop. During the stop, a dagger, methamphetamines, a bag of needles, nearly a pound of MSM (a common ingredient for cutting methamphetamine) and a sawed-off shotgun - an unregistered firearm - were found in Madrigal's vehicle.

Madrigal has three prior felony criminal convictions in the United States including a 1991 conviction in California for sale of cocaine, a 1997 conviction for transportation for sale (methamphetamine), and a 1998 conviction for possession for sale of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). He was previously deported from the United States in March 2002.

The case was investigated by the Nampa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Tom Moss commended the investigative work on the case.

"It is a priority for the Department of Justice to prosecute and imprison those illegal aliens who re-enter the United States and commit serious felonies here," he said.