Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kevin Noel Ochoa Venegas (a/k/a Kevin Noel Ochoa-Venegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banega), 32, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal reentry of a removed alien. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This criminal alien has demonstrated a brazen disregard for our national immigration laws, as evidenced by his repeated deportations and illegal returns to our country. He has also clearly shown he is a threat to our communities while unlawfully present here through his other criminal acts, including his commission of a sex offense. Thanks to the outstanding work of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners, this criminal alien sex offender has been removed from our streets. My office stands ready to aggressively prosecute offenders like this to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the criminal aliens who mistakenly believe they can violate our national and state laws with impunity.”
Court documents reflect that on April 11, 2025, the defendant was arrested in Bay County, Florida, for driving without a valid license. Law enforcement determined that the defendant was a citizen of Honduras who was illegally present in the United States. An investigation revealed that the defendant was previously removed from the United States in 2016, and again in 2021 after he was convicted for a sex crime that required him to register sex offender. The defendant did not apply for or receive permission to reenter the United States since his last removal from the United States in 2021.
The defendant faces a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, and up to three years of supervision upon his release. An ICE detainer has been lodged against the defendant, and he will begin deportation proceedings after he serves his term of federal prison.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 5, 2025, at 3:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.
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.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.