U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a man accused of serial rape in the Austin area was deported five times before his most recent arrest in August.

Nicodemo Coria-Gonzales faces six charges including aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping.

In one case, a victim told police he poured gasoline on her and tried to set her on fire.

Police said Coria-Gonzalez admitted he had picked up prostitutes and beat them out of anger. He is currently being held without bond on an immigration detainer.

“There’s bad, really bad people, who want to do us real harm who are coming at us from all different directions north, south, east and west,” said Immigration specialist Thomas Esparza, Jr.

If the allegations against him are true, Nicodemo Coria-Gonzalez illegally immigrated to the United States six times and then sexually abused several women.


“If that guy came back, he came back to do us ill, but there's not that many people who are able to come back that often and that successfully. That's the kind of person that even immigration lawyers are going to say, ‘You know, he should be prosecuted,’” said Esparza.

In August, Coria-Gonzalez was arrested after a woman told police he tried to set her on fire. While investigating, officers realized he had sexually assaulted several women in a secluded area off Ferguson Lane.



Investigators also learned Coria-Gonzalez had previous charges that convinced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport him five times.

“Five times deported and he's still here? What did he do the first time to get himself deported? And why didn't he learn after the second or the third or the fourth time? But already five times?! And he's still back?! He's a determined son of a gun, but at some point the dance is over and so, unfortunately, the dance is going to be over for him and he's going to be in jail,” Esparza said.

ICE said Coria-Gonzales was previously convicted of criminal charges including three charges of driving while intoxicated.

After each conviction he was extradited to Mexico. That never kept him from illegally crossing the border back into the United States.

“Every time you commit that offense the range of punishment gets higher and higher, but that's not enough to deter some people who really want to be here no matter what. And so if the punishment doesn't deter them, I don't know what will,” said Esparza.

Coria-Gonzalez is now considered an ice enforcement priority.

Police believe there may be more victims that are afraid to come forward. They encourage them and anyone with information about these crimes to call the Austin Police Department.

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