Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant previously convicted of state drug offenses and federal illegal reentry charges; he later fled following state charges of armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Worcester has been indicted for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The defendant was previously convicted and sentenced for illegal reentry in 2020 and subsequently removed from the United States.
Jose Luis Urena-Vasquez, 48, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
According to court filings, Urena Vasquez was encountered by immigration officials in 2008 while serving an 11-month sentence for drug distribution in the Essex County House of Corrections. Upon completion of his sentence, Urena Vasquez was placed into removal proceedings and was deported to the Dominican Republic on March 25, 2009.
Sometime after his removal, Urena Vasquez illegally reentered the United States. In 2018, he was charged in Lawrence District Court with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm. He then fled the state and in July 2018, Urena Vasquez was arrested in Florida on the state charges and returned to Massachusetts to face trial. In October 2018, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawful reentry of a deported alien and pleaded guilty to the offense in May 2019. He was subsequently sentenced in April 2020 to eight months in prison to be served consecutively with pending charges in Essex Superior Court – and three years of supervised release.
According to the indictment filed today, Urena-Vasquez was removed from the United States in February 2024. It is alleged that sometime after his 2024 removal, Urena-Vasquez unlawfully re-entered the United States.
This charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien whose removal was subsequent to a conviction for the commission of an aggravated felony provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.