St. Thomas, USVI - United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Gilberto Arana Wence was arrested on July 10, 2020 and charged with illegal re-entry by a removed alien.
According to court documents, Wence was departing St. Thomas for Charlotte, North Carolina and then on to San Francisco, California when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers determined he was not lawfully present in the United States. Based on record checks conducted using Wence’s fingerprints, officers discovered that he had previously been removed from the United States under a different name.
An initial appearance in federal court occurred on July 13, 2020.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper.
United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
