Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Efran Bautista-Ayala, age 44, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pled guilty on Monday in federal court in Florence, to Illegal Re-Entry into the United States, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a)(2). United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell of Florence, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on November 9, 2016, ICE-ERO Officers discovered that Efran Bautista-Ayala, a native and citizen of Mexico, had been arrested by state law enforcement for DUI and Driving Without a License.
In 2006, Bautista-Ayala was deported from the United States back to Mexico after having been convicted of felony charges in California in 2005.
Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty this defendant can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 10 years, plus a special assessment of $100.
The case was investigated by agents of the ICE-ERO Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Brad Parham of the Florence office handled the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
