HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has dropped a heavy charge on Juan Carlos Quintanilla-Pineda, a 31-year-old man from Mexico. Quintanilla-Pineda has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal re-entry into the United States.
According to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Quintanilla-Pineda was previously deported twice – in March 2007 and November 2012. Despite these orders, he is accused of slipping back across the border and was apprehended in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. His previous conviction for illegal re-entry in October 2012 has now landed him in hot water once more.
Brandler revealed that Quintanilla-Pineda’s prior offense qualifies him for enhanced penalties under federal law, with a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment, a term of supervised release, and substantial fines. His legal woes are far from over as he now faces the same charges again.
The second defendant in this case is 26-year-old Rolando Mendez-Velasquez, another Mexican national previously deported to his home country in June 2008 and February 2009. Mendez-Velasquez was also caught sneaking back into the U.S., this time in Cumberland County. His charges may not carry as heavy a penalty as Quintanilla-Pineda’s, but he still faces up to two years behind bars if convicted.
The investigation into these cases was spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), with Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian G. McDonnell handling the prosecution. As always, the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Under federal law, judges must consider a variety of factors when determining sentences, making it impossible to predict the exact length of a defendant’s punishment. The statutory maximums are not guarantees of conviction sentences for any specific case.
Related Federal Cases
- Altoona Illegal Re-Entry: Juan Raymundo Martinez-Alba Indicted · Pennsylvania
- Deported Alien Luis Alvarez-Arguello Charged With Illegal Re-entry · Pennsylvania
- Mexican Citizen Indicted for Illegal Re-Entry in PA · Pennsylvania
- Rogelio Valencia-Sanchez Indicted for Illegal Re-entry · Pennsylvania
- Mauro Zerecero-Soto Indicted for Illegal Re-Entry · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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