Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Dominican national living in Lawrence was sentenced in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. Melvin Villar, 61, received a 10-month prison sentence and will be subject to two years of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Villar faces deportation.
Villar pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. Authorities arrested Villar on February 2, 2025, after he was released from state custody where he faced narcotics trafficking charges.
Villar has previously been removed from the United States following criminal convictions for immigration, drug, and firearm offenses. These removals occurred in 2004, 2009, 2019, and 2021. He also has two prior convictions for unlawful reentry.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.”
