Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Joel Gil-Garcia and Maykel Reyes-Castillo have been sentenced for aiding and abetting an attempt to bring aliens into the United States, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. The sentencing took place in Burlington, Vermont.
Gil-Garcia, 23, residing in Orlando, Florida, and Reyes-Castillo, 22, residing in Yonkers, New York, received a time-served term of imprisonment followed by a one-year supervised release. Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss imposed these sentences after both men pleaded guilty to the charges.
Reyes-Castillo was sentenced on June 24, 2025, and fined $500. Gil-Garcia was sentenced earlier on May 22, 2025, with a fine of $1,000.
Court records reveal that in March 2024, Gil-Garcia arranged with an individual to pick up four foreign nationals who were crossing into Vermont from Canada illegally. He involved Reyes-Castillo to assist him in driving to Vermont. For their involvement in this illegal activity, Gil-Garcia received $1,800 while Reyes-Castillo received $500. Neither had any prior criminal history before this incident.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher acknowledged the investigatory work conducted by the United States Border Patrol in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Arra prosecuted the case. Legal representation for Gil-Garcia was provided by Mark Oettinger, Esq., while Stephanie Greenlees, Esq., represented Reyes-Castillo.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America. This nationwide initiative uses resources from the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), aiming to protect communities from violent crime perpetrators through efforts coordinated by the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
