BILLINGS – A Guatemalan man who illegally reentered the United States was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Raul Pelico-Puac, 40, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to illegal reentry into the United States.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Pelico-Puac was arrested in Yellowstone County in September 2024 on suspicion of robbery. During the investigation, law enforcement learned Pelico-Puac was a Guatemalan citizen and was in the country without legal status; he had been removed previously for illegal reentry in 2009 and 2020.
Pelico-Puac was ultimately sentenced in Montana District Court to five years in prison with three years suspended for robbery. He began his parole on March 9, 2026. Once he was released from state custody he was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with the offense of illegal reentry.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation.