HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that yesterday a federal grand jury in Harrisburg indicted Alfredo Rodriguez-Castellano, for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported and convicted of an aggravated felony.
According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Rodriguez-Castellano, a 35 year old Honduran national, was previously deported to Honduras in 2009. That same year, he was also convicted by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas of forgery, an aggravated felony which subjects him to enhanced penalties in the current case.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Because of Rodriguez-Castellano’s previous conviction, under federal law he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
