Criminal illegal alien from Mexico sentenced to federal prison after Gainesville arrest

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Moises Ramiro Lopez-Zenteno, 37, of Mexico, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry into the United States. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. 

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.”

Original arrest

At about 11:50 p.m. on September 27, 2025, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Bella Vista Village (110 NW 39th Avenue), where the victim said she and Lopez-Zenteno had argued as she came home from visiting a neighbor, and he pulled her into her home by her shirt.

Inside the home, they continued to argue, and the victim said Lopez-Zenteno broke a mirror, tried to force her to drink from a full beer bottle, and slapped her.

The victim said Lopez-Zenteno went into the kitchen, and she ran outside to go to the neighbor’s house, but Lopez-Zenteno followed her, holding a raised knife. The neighbor called 911, causing Lopez-Zenteno to go back inside.

A witness told the officer that he saw Lopez-Zenteno pull the victim into her home, and then a little while later, they both ran out of the home, and Lopez-Zenteno had a knife in his raised hand.

Court documents reflect that Lopez-Zenteno, a citizen of Mexico, departed the United States in 2016 after an Immigration Judge entered an Order of Removal. After the 2025 arrest in Gainesville, he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

Case was investigated by ICE and GPD

“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 case was investigated 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 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.