BUFFALO — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today Lorenzo Antonio Loja-Castro, a citizen of Ecuador, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with re-entry of a removed alien, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who is handling the case, stated that in March 2025, Homeland Security Investigations received information that suspected illegal aliens working construction at townhomes in Hamburg, NY, were creating unsafe living conditions for tenants. Specifically, tenants could not communicate with the workers, and the workers blocked tenant units. On March 26, 2025, law enforcement conducted surveillance and observed several construction workers at the location. Immigration Officials approached the workers and questioned their citizenship, including the defendant, who stated that he did not speak English. When asked in Spanish, Loja-Castro stated that he was from Ecuador and did not have any immigration documents to be present in the United States legally. An immigration check determined that Loja-Castro was previously apprehended in Middleport, NY, and removed from the United States in July 2024.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Loja-Castro made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.