Previously Deported Honduran Man Convicted Of Illegal Re-Entry

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SCRANTON, PA — The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicholas Heriberto Vallecillo-Tejada, age 39, was convicted on April 18, 2023, of illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien following a two-day jury trial before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Vallecillo-Tejada was previously deported from the United States to Honduras in November 2008 and again in July 2009.  He reentered the United States again sometime after July 2009 without first obtaining legal permission to do so.  Vallecillo-Tejada was encountered in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 2020, when he was arrested by the Shenandoah Police Department on charges which eventually led to convictions for simple assault and weapons possession.  He was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2022 and charged with illegal re-entry into the United States.

This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Brian J. Gallagher prosecuted the case.

Vallecillo-Tejada faces a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

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