Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Julio Cesar Villareal-Garcia, age 42, of Mexico, has 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 Mary Geiger Lewis, 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 Villareal-Garcia was encountered by ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations agents on Nov. 27, 2017 at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia after he was arrested for Driving Under the Influence. An investigation revealed that he is a citizen of Mexico who had previously 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 agents of the ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II, of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case. ##
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
