Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Greenbelt, Maryland – Edwin Armando Sanchez-Montiel, 33, a citizen and national of El Salvador, pled guilty to illegally re-entering the United States following a felony conviction for accessory after the fact, murder first degree.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty pleas with Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Baltimore Field Office.
According to court filings, Sanchez-Montiel voluntarily entered the United States around October 18, 2006, near Hidalgo, Texas, but United States Border Patrol apprehended him. Then the United States Border Patrol served Sanchez-Montiel with a Notice to Appear before the Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Review. On February 12, 2007, an immigration judge issued a decision ordering Sanchez-Montiel’s removal. Sanchez-Montiel failed to appear, so the hearing was held in absentia.
Then on January 23, 2023, law enforcement arrested Sanchez-Montiel, charging him with Accessory After the Fact, Murder First Degree. Sanchez-Montiel pled guilty and received a sentence of five years in prison with all but 18 months suspended.
On January 29, 2024, after he served his sentence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Sanchez-Montiel. Then on February 9, Sanchez-Montiel was removed from the United States to El Salvador via airplane, but he voluntarily and unlawfully re-entered the United States without inspection by an immigration officer on an unknown date.
ICE officers again encountered Sanchez-Montiel in Montgomery County, Maryland, on July 27, where they took him into custody. Sanchez-Montiel did not obtain consent at any time from the Attorney General of the United States, or from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, for readmission into the United States. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26, at 10 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brooke Oki and Joel Crespo who 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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