US Attorney Charges “Unprecedented Number” of Illegal Entry Cases in North Florida

Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced last week that 12 previously deported aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States.

U.S. Attorney Keefe said: “Enforcing immigration laws is a priority of the Department of Justice, along with protecting all members of our community. Although our office regularly charges illegal reentry cases, the cases below represent an unprecedented number of illegal reentry cases charged in our district at a particular time during the past five years.”

Listed below is information on those indicted.

• Yony Javier Barraona Lopez, 25, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in December 2018, after being deported in 2011, 2013, and 2015. He was located in Crestview.
• Erick Geovanni Carrillo-Franco, 46, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2014. He was located in Pensacola.
• Freddy David Chavez-Lopez, 31, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2006 and 2010. He was located in DeFuniak Springs.
• Juan Alejandro Cortes-Sabillon, 47, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2004 and 2005. He was located in Panama City.
• Javier Gonzalez-Valdivia, 56, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2010. He was located in Okaloosa County.
• Fransis Leonei Lima-Sanchez, 25, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2017. He was located in Okaloosa County.
• Ricardo Alejandro Maldonado-Lopez, 35, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2003, 2009, and 2014. He was located in Panama City.
• Jose Luis Ortiz-Maradiaga, 27, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2016 and 2017. He was located in Crestview.
• Danis Ramiro Sanchez-Sandoval, 28, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2012. He was located in Panama City Beach.
• Juan Sopino-Sanchez, 41, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in November 2018, after being deported in 2011 and 2012. He was located in Okaloosa County.
• Juan Vasquez-Reymundo, 34, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2009. He was located in Panama City.
• Gabriel Villela, 30, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally in January 2019, after being deported in 2008 and 2012. He was located in Milton.

The penalty for illegally reentering the United States after deportation is a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Cortes-Sabillon faces an enhanced maximum sentence of 10 years in prison based on his prior criminal history, which includes a felony conviction.

Lima-Sanchez, Maldonado-Lopez, and Sanchez-Sandoval face an enhanced maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, due to prior criminal records with aggravated felony convictions.

The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office, and the Panama City Beach Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Aine Ahmed, Michelle K. Daffin, Alicia H. Forbes, Edwin F. Knight, J. Ryan Love, and James M. Ustynoski are prosecuting the cases.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt.

All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.