U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following announcement on Jan. 13.
Two foreign nationals made court appearances today in connection with their respective charges for illegally re-entering the United States.
“Both of these defendants have shown a complete lack of respect for the laws of this country,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case represents an all too common scenario here in the Eastern District of Virginia: A defendant illegally enters the United States and then commits additional crimes while here illegally. This criminal conduct creates serious public safety risks for our communities, and has the full attention of my office and our law enforcement partners.”
In Norfolk federal court, Jorge Sormiento-Rodriguez, 46, of Honduras, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegal reentry. Sormiento-Rodriguez illegally entered the United States sometime before 2010. He was arrested and convicted in 2010 for driving under the influence (DUI) in Norfolk, and again in 2011 for possession of narcotics but was deported prior to the adjudication on that charge. Sometime prior to December 2018, Sormiento-Rodriguez again illegally entered the United States. In December 2018, he was arrested in Norfolk for another DUI and possession of narcotics. He was convicted of the DUI and both narcotic charges in June 2019.
In Richmond, Reynaldo Ostorga-Rodriguez, 42, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry. According to court documents, Ostorga-Rodriguez was first apprehended by Border Patrol in December 2004 along the border and allowed to return to Mexico. He then attempted to illegally enter the United States two more times and was apprehended and returned to Mexico. He later illegally entered the United States in February 2006, and in March 2006 he was arrested by the Chesterfield County Police for DUI. He was convicted and sentenced for both offenses. In May 2006, Ostorga-Rodriguez was arrested by the Virginia State Police for the felony violation DUI, convicted, and sentenced to three years in prison. He was released following completion of the sentence. In June 2010, Ostorga-Rodriguez was again arrested by the Chesterfield County Police for another DUI and related offenses, was convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison. Following completion of his sentence, on May 22, 2012, ICE removed him to El Salvador.
On an unknown date, Ostorga-Rodriguez again illegally reentered the United States. In October 2019, Ostorga-Rodriguez was arrested by the Richmond Police for DWI. He was later released from the Richmond City Jail without notification to ICE. In November 2019, Deportation Officers apprehended Ostorga-Rodriguez in a vehicle stop. Ostorga-Rodriguez was positively identified and taken into ICE custody. On Nov. 20, 2019, a federal grand jury returned the indictment to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Ostorga-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after removal following a felony conviction, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on April 14. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jim Stitzel, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth M. Yusi and S. David Schiller are prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:18-cr-192 (Sormiento-Rodriguez) and 3:19-cr-166 (Ostorga-Rodriguez).
Original source can be found here.
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