Two Foreign Nationals Charged with Firearm, Immigration Offenses
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Jose Zuniga-Amador, 29, has been charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien, and Illegal Re-Entry After Deportation. Zuniga-Amador is a Honduran citizen. He was arrested in East St. Louis on November 15, 2011.
The United States Attorney also announced today that Ivan Docantes-Cervantes, 35, has been charged with Illegal Re-Entry After Deportation. Docantes-Cervantes is a Mexican citizen. He was arrested the St. Clair County Sheriff’s deputies on November 14, 2011.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the Government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted on the firearms charge, Zuniga-Amador faces a possible maximum sentence of no more than 10 years imprisonment. Both Zuniga-Amador and Docantes-Cervantes face a possible maximum sentence of 2 years imprisonment for Illegal Re-Entry.
The investigations that resulted in the indictments of Zuniga-Amador and Docantes- Cervantes were conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The cases are assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison for prosecution.
