Man who entered US illegally at least three times was arrested in SC, prosecutor says
A man who had entered the U.S. illegally multiple times and was most recently arrested in South Carolina is now heading to federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Fermin Ortuno Valdovinos, a 47-year-old who was living in Summerville, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for “illegal reentry of an alien after removal, subsequent to a conviction of an aggravated felony, and violation of supervised release,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Valdovinos has reentered the country several times following three separate deportations and also has been convicted of committing child sex crimes in the U.S., according to the release.
The first deportation
On July 13, 2009, ICE officers encountered Valdovinos in the Anaheim City Jail in California where he was being held for charges of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts forcible lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Valdovinos admitted entering the U.S. without being inspected, admitted or paroled by an Immigration Officer, according to the release.
On March 28, 2011, Valdovinos was convicted in California Superior Court and sentenced to 6 years for each count, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
While serving his sentence, an Immigration official in San Bernardino, California, ordered Valdovinos to be removed to Mexico, which happened on July 2, 2019, according to the release.
The second deportation
About a week later, on July 11, 2019, Valdovinos entered the U.S. illegally and was encountered by a United States Border Patrol agent near Sasabe, Arizona, according to the release.
On Oct. 1, 2019, Valdovinos pleaded guilty to illegal reentry into the U.S., and on Jan. 6, 2020, he was sentenced to 24-months’ imprisonment and 36-months’ supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Valdovinos was removed from the United States to Mexico for a second time on April 14, 2021, according to the release.
The third deportation
On July 8, 2022, Valdovinos again entered the U.S. illegally and was stopped by Border Patrol in San Clemente, California, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. On Sept. 21, 2022, Valdovinos pleaded guilty to “improper attempted entry by an alien,” in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, and was given a 6 month sentence, according to the release.
On Oct. 31, 2022, Valdovinos was found to be in violation of the terms of his supervised release and was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment and 24 months’ supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Valdovinos was removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time on July 5, 2023, according to the release.
Most recent arrest
At some point following the third removal, Valdovinos again re-entered the U.S., according to the release. Information about where he re-entered the country was not available, but on June 20, 2024, he was taken into custody in South Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office arrested Valdovinos for failing to register as a sex offender, according to the release.
Valdovinos was charged with “illegal re-entry of an alien after removal, subsequent to a conviction of an aggravated felony,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Valdovinos was sentenced to 50 months imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Gergel also sentenced Valdovinos to 10 months in prison for violation of supervised release, to be served consecutive to the 50-month term of imprisonment, according to the release.
There was no word if Valdovinos will face another deportation.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Secor is prosecuting the case. Federal Public Defender Cody Groeber was listed as Valdovinos’ attorney.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Man who entered US illegally at least three times was arrested in SC, prosecutor says."
