Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadoran national was sentenced today to a year and six months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed following an aggravated felony conviction.
According to court documents, José Luis Romero Lopez, 47, was previously convicted of larceny, sexual battery, assault, driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving with a suspended license, and reckless driving before his 2010 conviction for brandishing a knife and stabbing a victim. In 2017, Romero Lopez was removed from the United States to El Salvador.
Romero Lopez illegally reentered the United States before being arrested in 2023 for assault and battery. On Jan. 22, Romero Lopez pled guilty to illegal reentry after removal subsequent to a felony conviction. Romero Lopez remains subject to his previous order of removal.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul III, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Willner-Giwerc and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary H. Ray prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-267.