After six months in jail, former USD basketball player Mihai Carcoana was deported on October 3.
Clay County Sheriff Andy Howe noted that this is the first instance during his tenure where an inmate was deported immediately after serving their sentence. “We’ve never had someone here on state charges released for deportation,” Howe commented. Deporations are managed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to Howe, Carcoana was handed his street clothes and taken into ICE custody directly from jail. “After that point, we have no further contact,” he added.
Former Clay County States’ Attorney Alexis Tracy explained that Carcoana’s plea deal included the condition that he would be released to ICE. Tracy, who began her role as Assistant Attorney General in June 2023, mentioned, “We understood that the defendant wanted to return home, and deportation was anticipated in our plea agreement.”
Carcoana relocated to Vermillion in Fall 2022 as a sophomore transfer from Toledo State University. He played only 10 games before being arrested on December 9, 2022, on charges of second-degree rape.
Initially pleading not guilty in January 2023 to two rape charges and a misdemeanor charge for interference with communications, Carcoana had a trial scheduled for April 2023, which was postponed until July at his request. His attorney later sought another delay for jury selection, citing health issues and other trials.
In February 2024, Carcoana pleaded guilty to one of the rape charges, with the prosecution dropping the others. Tracy noted that it’s common for defendants to plead not guilty initially but later accept plea deals.
He was sentenced to six months of incarceration, serving his time at the Union County Jail in Elk Point rather than Clay County. “We had been housing him at the Union County Jail at Clay County’s expense since about the third day of his sentence, and ICE picked him up from there,” Howe explained.
Since the Clay County Jail only accommodates inmates for three days, all were transferred to other facilities. While Carcoana is likely banned from re-entering the United States for life, the impact of the case will continue to affect the victim.
“The most difficult part of this case is the retraumatization that the justice system subjects the victim to,” Tracy remarked. “It’s a necessary burden that forces victims to relive their trauma on the system’s terms and those of the defendant.”
Tracy expressed relief at the case’s conclusion, stating, “It felt rewarding to see this young woman, who had gone through so much, find some closure.”
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