Guatemalan Man Illegally Entered U.S. 14 Times in 20 Years

RICHMOND, Va. – A Guatemalan man was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegal reentry of an immigrant after a felony conviction.

“Over the past 22 years, Diego Tino-Calvo has illegally entered the United States at least 14 times, and has been convicted of multiple drunk driving offenses,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This recidivist behavior reflects a blatant disregard for our nation’s laws and borders, and represents a clear threat to public safety. The Department of Justice is committed to prioritizing criminal immigration enforcement, and this case reflects that continuing commitment.”

According to court documents, Diego Tino-Calvo, 45, first illegally entered the United States more than 20 years ago in 1998. Since then, Tino-Calvo illegally reentered the country at least 14 times. He has twice been convicted of illegal reentry of an immigrant in two separate federal courts. First, here in the Eastern District in 2011, and then later, in the District of Arizona in 2017. While in the United States, Tino-Calvo was convicted of multiple other crimes including several instances of Driving While Intoxicated. Tino-Calvo most recently came to the attention of immigration officials after he was arrested in November 2019 for Driving While Intoxicated in Richmond.

“Tino-Calvo is an illegal alien who has proven that he’s a public safety threat to communities across the country, as he repeatedly got behind the wheel while intoxicated,” said Matthew Munroe, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. “ICE will reinstate his prior order of removal and return him to his home country upon completion of his prison sentence.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew Munroe, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Lee Martin prosecuted the case

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-1.