The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced the sentencing of Elio Yoel Cardona-Torres, a 43-year-old citizen of Honduras. On July 17, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann sentenced Cardona-Torres to time-served, amounting to five months in prison, for illegally reentering the United States after previous deportations. Cardona-Torres had pleaded guilty to this charge.
Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus stated that Cardona-Torres was arrested during targeted enforcement in Sayre, Pennsylvania on February 22, 2025. It was revealed that he had been removed from the U.S. in 2006, 2008, and 2010 by court order and now faces deportation proceedings once again.
The investigation into this case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Robin Zenzinger.
This case is part of "Operation Take Back America," a nationwide initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations. This operation consolidates resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
