BOSTON – A Colombian national was sentenced to 27 months in prison for a federal immigration crime in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dorance Serna-Bedoya, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Serna-Bedoya will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In May 2017, Serna-Bedoya pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
In 1993, Serna-Bedoya was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of distribution of cocaine, and was sentenced to 10-11 years in jail. While serving the Suffolk Superior Court sentence, Serna-Bedoya was convicted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York of drug distribution and sentenced to 30 additional months in jail. Upon completion of these sentences, Serna-Bedoya was placed into removal proceedings and on Jan. 6, 2006, he was deported to Colombia.
On Oct. 25, 2016, Serna-Bedoya was arrested in Massachusetts using a forged Pennsylvania driver’s license. Officers obtained Serna-Bedoya’s fingerprints and found them to match those contained in Serna-Bedoya’s immigration file.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The charges against Serna-Bedoya include unlawful reentry of a deported alien, which is a federal crime. Serna-Bedoya’s deportation from the United States in 2006 was a direct result of his previous convictions for distribution of cocaine.
The case against Serna-Bedoya is a prime example of the consequences of reentering the United States illegally. Serna-Bedoya’s sentence serves as a warning to those who would attempt to circumvent U.S. immigration laws.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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