Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Yosselin Ibanez-Diaz, 28, of Guatemala, has been charged by criminal complaint with unlawful re-entry following prior removal from the United States.
Court records indicate that Ibanez-Diaz was convicted in federal court in New Mexico in 2019 of entering the United States illegally and, following that conviction, she was removed from the United States. Because of that history, and because she had failed to reapply for admission to the United States, her presence here constitutes a new offense.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Ibanez-Diaz is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Ibanez-Diaz faces up to two years’ incarceration if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement–Enforcement & Removal Operations.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Arra. Ibanez-Diaz is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).