Salvadorian Immigrant Sentenced For Illegal Re-Entry & Fraud
Friday, December 13, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
SYRACUSE, NY.- On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Jose Reyes-Acosta, 49, of El Salvador, living in the Utica, New York area illegally, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York and was sentenced by a U.S. District Court Judge to 39 months in federal prison for his previously entered guilty plea.
Reyes-Acosta pleaded guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States, Fraudulently Using Another’s Identifying Information to Obtain A U.S. Passport, and Attempting to Obtain a New York State Identification Card.
According to Carla B. Freedman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, and Joshua S. Levy, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, as part of his guilty plea, Reyes-Acosta admitted to illegally re-entering the United States after being a previously deported alien. Following re-entring illegally, purchasing stolen documents that belonged to a U.S. citizen, and then utilizing those documents in Massachusetts to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport and a Massachusetts REAL ID.
In 2023, Reyes-Acosta once again used the documents to apply for a New York state identification card but was detected by law enforcement officers before the card was issued.
A federal grand jury indicted Reyes-Acosta on five counts based on his Massachusetts conduct. The charges were later transferred to the Northern District of New York for disposition. In total, Reyes-Acosta was sentenced to 39 months of imprisonment and a $2,000 fine, including Illegal Re-Entry and Aggravated Identity Theft, which were charged in New York. Upon completion of his term of imprisonment, Reyes-Acosta will be turned over to Immigration Customs and Enforcement for immediate deportation proceedings.
