CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 50-year-old man from El Salvador has been found guilty of illegally reentering the United States without authorization following a one-day trial.
The jury deliberated for less than 10 minutes before convicting Jose Leandro Juarez-Rivas. Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced the verdict.
On Feb. 18, authorities conducting immigration inspections on a commercial bus at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint discovered Juarez-Rivas did not have legal authorization to be in the country.
The jury heard that he was first ordered removed in May 2018 and illegally returned earlier this year.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that Juarez-Rivas did not know he was ordered removed from the United States or that he was not allowed to reenter. The jury rejected those claims and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for Aug. 19. Juarez-Rivas faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He remains in custody pending that hearing.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Min Burkett and Patrick Overman are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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