Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Mario Almaraz-Juarez, age 23, of Mexico, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia, to Illegal Re-Entry, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Almaraz was encountered by DHS/ICE agents on Dec. 31, 2017, at the Lexington County Detention Center, in Lexington, after he was arrested for Hit and Run, Driving Under Suspension and No Insurance. An investigation revealed that Almaraz is a citizen of Mexico who had been deported pursuant to an order of removal. U.S. Attorney Drake stated the maximum penalty for Illegal Re-Entry is imprisonment for 2 years and/or a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by officers of the ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Columbia is prosecuting the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
