Philadelphia resident Melvin Gutierrez-Almonte, a 42-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after being deported multiple times, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Gutierrez-Almonte had been removed from the U.S. on four prior occasions and has three previous convictions for illegal reentry. He was indicted in September 2023 and pleaded guilty in January 2024.
In April 2023, he was caught crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona without permission. His criminal history includes multiple arrests for assault and other offenses. In May 2024, he was arrested in New Jersey on charges of simple assault and receiving stolen property. A detainer was placed on him as the case continued.
As per the U.S. Attorney's Office release, in July 2024, he was arrested again in Philadelphia under the name "Conjeo Almonet," facing charges of aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of a crime. The next day, ICE officials received a biometric alert and he was charged federally for illegal reentry after being released by Philadelphia authorities. He was arrested by an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer on September 3, 2024.
