The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Onassis Alexander Tejeda-Arias, a 42-year-old national of the Dominican Republic, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison. The sentencing was carried out by United States District Judge Julia K. Minley for his illegal reentry into the United States after being deported following an aggravated felony conviction.
Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus stated that Tejeda-Arias had previously entered the U.S. illegally on at least two occasions. He lived unlawfully in Lawrence, Massachusetts, since 2009 and was deported to the Dominican Republic on October 16, 2018, after a Massachusetts conviction in 2015 for possession with intent to distribute heroin. This crime led to a three-and-a-half-year imprisonment sentence. Despite this, he reentered the U.S. illegally through Texas in early 2020.
Tejeda-Arias was arrested on October 6, 2022, by agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General in Harrisburg for involvement in significant drug trafficking activities. This resulted in another sentence of two and a half to five years' imprisonment following his illegal reentry.
On April 24, 2025, Tejeda-Arias pleaded guilty to a federal indictment charging him with illegal reentry. Judge Munley ruled that his new sentence would run consecutively with his state drug trafficking sentence. After completing these sentences, he will be deported back to the Dominican Republic.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation utilizes resources from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera along with Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus prosecuted this case.
