On August 20, a Honduran national, Pedro Tailor Castillo-Bonilla, 43, plead guilty to a charge of illegal reentry after removal, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson. The charging document states that Castillo was found in the United States on June 18, having returned to the country without authorization after his previous deportation on August 15, 2012, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reveal that Castillo now faces a sentence of up to two years in prison, and he may be put under supervised release for up to a year following his imprisonment, a fine could reach $250,000, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. His sentencing has been scheduled for November 19 before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk.
Castillo's guilty plea is a part of the larger "Operation Take Back America," a Department of Justice initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The effort seeks to unify the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood programs to better protect communities from violent crimes, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson commended the investigative efforts of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Customs and Border Protection in this case. According to the statement released, Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters of the General Crimes Unit is leading the prosecution efforts, emphasizing the department's dedication to upholding the law and securing the border, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
