Two Minnesota Dads are due in federal court for sentencing this morning. It was a close contest, but Jovany Eligio Martinez-Simon takes the Minnesota Dad of the Day honors, owing to a higher degree of conviction in his felony criminal sexual conduct case.
Mr. Martinez, age 32 of Mexico, was taken into federal custody back in March and in May pled guilty to one felony count of illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. His plea agreement included a sentencing guideline of 8-to-14 months in prison.
Prosecutors are backing the guideline. They note that Martinez was convicted in April 2016 of a state felony, third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was deported back to Mexico in May 2016.
In March 2025, Martinez was pulled over in a traffic stop, during which his illegal status was confirmed and he was taken into federal custody.
His defense attorney is asking for a sentence of time served. The opening line of his argument reads,
On Fridays, Jovany had the habit of bringing home a treat for his sons after work.
Apparently, Mr. Martinez is employed in the construction trades here in Minnesota. But on March 14, 2025, the idyllic life of our hard-working, loving Minnesota Dad turned to horror. His defense lawyer continues,
However on that Friday morning, once he started his car, he was targeted by an ICE
patrol, hemmed in by their vehicles, removed from his car and arrested. Since his arrest, apart from times of jail to court transportation, Jovany has breathed no fresh air, seen no sky, and has had but limited views of the outside world.
His lawyer acknowledges, at some point, that Martinez will be sent back to Mexico. We’re told his loving family has preceded him south and await his return to Veracruz.
He arrived in southern California from Mexico as a Dreamer. But then events took a dark turn,
As a young man Jovany made the mistake of falling in love with a young lady he met a
dance. Although she was too young for him to have legal sexual relations., their relationship was however accepted in the culture to which Jovany belonged. The young lady’s parents had no objections to the relationship and in fact welcomed Jovany into their lives.
Those damn Scandinavian puritans ruin everything. Despite the cultural appropriateness of the relationship,
But given the age difference between the two, criminal proceedings were brought against Jovany and he pleaded guilty in exchange for receiving a probationary sentence. Immigration consequences however were fast to come. Jovany’s DACA status was revoked, he was arrested by immigration police, and deported immediately after the state court sentencing hearing.
Court records list his year of birth as 1992, and hers as 1999, producing an age gap of more than seven years. The birth year of their daughter is listed as 2015. Doing the math on the exact dates, the mother could have been no older than 14 when the relationship with Marinez began. He would have been over age 21.
To be clear, this mom and daughter are not among the family awaiting his return to Veracruz.
We are also told that Martinez will be missed by his local baseball team, for whom he pitches.
Julio Deciderio Naula-Jara, a/k/a Mike Sanchez, a/k/a David Sanchez, of Ecuador is scheduled to appear in federal court in downtown St. Paul for his sentencing this morning.
Prosecutors note two previous deportations for Naula, in 2011 and 2020. His 2011 deportation followed a state felony conviction for criminal sexual conduct. His 2020 deportation to Ecuador followed a 2019 federal felony conviction for re-entry of a previously deported illegal alien.
Naula, now age 46, first arrived in the U.S. in 2000.
In November 2024, he was arrested in Golden Valley on a drunk driving charge. providing a false name, and failure to update his sex offender registration. That case is still pending.
In between those events, prosecutors document his criminal history as follows:
- 2006: disorderly conduct, dimissed
- 2008: domestic assault, convicted
- 2009: violated no contact order, convicted
- 2010: DWI, convicted
- 2010: charged with four (4) felonies: kidnapping, false imprisonment, criminal sexual conduct, violated no contact order
- 2011: convicted of felony criminal sexual conduct, deported to Ecuador
- 2016: returned to U.S.
- 2018: DWI, charges pending
- 2019: felony re-entry, convicted
- 2020: deported to Ecuador
- 2024: DWI, charges pending
- 2025: February, taken into federal custody
He was indicted back in early February and pled guilty to a second felony for illegal re-entry in April. His plea agreement included sentencing guidelines of 30 to 37 months in prison.
Apparently, a pre-sentence report calls for a lower 8-to-14-month sentence, less than he received in his previous felony re-entry conviction. Regardless, prosecutors stuck to the 30- month recommendation.
His defense attorney paints a tale of woe for Mr. Naula,
The history and circumstances of Mr. Naula-Jara reveal a man who was raised in
abject poverty, albeit with a large and loving family. Mr. Naula-Jara grew up in a home
constructed from straw with a dirt floor, and no plumbing or indoor toilet. Mr. Naula
Jara’s father moved to the United States when he was five years old to find work to support his growing family (Mr. Naula-Jara has 6 siblings). Ultimately Mr. Naula-Jara began working at age nine to help support his family. Despite these efforts Mr. Naula-Jara, as the eldest child, had to drop out of school in the 7th grade to work full time.
Just another hard-working immigrant, with two previous felony convictions. It could happen to anyone. As for that first felony,
He then entered into an unhealthy and tragic relationship with a woman with whom he has a now 21-year-old son. This troubled relationship resulted in several criminal charges against Mr. Naula-Jara, including a conviction for Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Fourth Degree.
You see, the “relationship” induced the four felony counts, it had nothing to do with the kidnapping. The second felony goes unaddressed. His lawyer claims that Naula was forced to return to America to escape murderous Ecuadoran gangs who have it in for him. Nonetheless, the attorney asks for a sentence of time served and a third deportation to Ecuador.
As Annie once sang,
It’s the hard-knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
iAdiós, mis amigos!