Two Honduran Nationals Are Charged With Illegal Reentry

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Murray announced today that Luis Analberto Pineda-Anchecta, 37, a Honduran national, has been charged by a federal criminal complaint with illegal reentry of a deported alien.  Court records show that Pineda-Anchecta was previously deported in 2006.  A second individual, Rudy Aroldo Aguillar-Arevallo, 34, also a Honduran national, has been charged by a separate federal criminal complaint of unlawful reentry and possession of ammunition by an illegal alien. Aguillar-Arevallo was previously deported in 2010.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, on or about May 15, 2019, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) arrested Pineda-Anchecta for the offenses of Assault on a Female, Communicating Threats, Injury to Personal Property Over $200, Larceny of Property or Goods with a Value Over $1000, and Simple Assault.  On May 16, 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) filed a detainer with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, which requests notification of that person’s presence at that facility and places a hold on that person so that immigration officers may have a reasonable period of time to determine that person’s true identity, immigration status and criminal history.

The criminal complaint alleges that, on May 17, 2019, after Pineda-Anchecta paid the bond amount set by a state magistrate judge, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not honor the detainer, released Pineda-Anchecta, and did not notify ICE. The complaint further alleges that on or about May 23, 2019, Pineda-Anchecta engaged in a standoff with a CMPD SWAT team that lasted several hours.  Because he engaged in additional criminal conduct, CMPD re-arrested Pineda-Anchecta and charged him with Assault on a Female, Communicating Threats, Assault on a Person by Strangulation and Inflicting Physical Injury, Violation of a Domestic Violence Order, and First-Degree Kidnapping of a Person Over 16.  The complaint alleges that on May 24, 2019, ICE filed another detainer with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.  However, on June 1, 2019, after Pineda-Anchecta paid the bond amount set by a state magistrate judge, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not honor the detainer, released Pineda-Anchecta, and did not notify ICE about his release from custody.

According to the criminal complaints, on or about June 2, 2019, ICE deployed members of its Charlotte-based Fugitive Operations Team and special agents from the Charlotte Homeland Security Investigations office to locate Pineda-Anchecta.  The team located and arrested Pineda-Anchecta and Aguillar-Arevado on immigration violations while they were sitting in a vehicle that contained a loaded firearm and firearm ammunition. 

Pineda-Anchecta and Aguillar-Arevalo will have their initial appearance in federal court in the coming days.  The illegal reentry charge carries a maximum prison term of 2 years and a $250,000 fine.  The unlawful possession of a weapon by an alien charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.

The charges contained in the complaints are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Murray thanked ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith is in charge of the prosecution.