Alamdar Hamdani U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Honduran woman living illegally in the United States has been indicted for failing to surrender to serve her prison sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Leidy Areli Hernandez Lopez, aged 44, had pleaded guilty on May 10, 2023, to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to her involvement in selling illegal temporary Texas license plates. Following this plea, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced her to 30 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay over $316,000 in restitution.
Lopez was scheduled to report to federal prison by April 9, 2024, but failed to appear as required. Subsequently, a federal grand jury issued an indictment on February 20 charging her with failure to surrender. If found guilty of this charge, she could face an additional five years in federal prison.
Currently considered a fugitive, there is an outstanding warrant for Lopez's arrest. Authorities urge anyone with information about her location to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.
The FBI conducted the investigation into the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is handling the prosecution.
It is important to note that an indictment serves as a formal accusation of criminal conduct and does not constitute evidence of guilt. A defendant remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due legal process.
