Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Third Illegal Entry

NORFOLK, Va. – A Honduran man pleaded guilty today to illegally reentering the United States for a third time.

According to court documents, Luis Omar Vallarez-Martinez, 36, first entered the United States illegally in April 2006, by wading across the Rio Grande river. He was apprehended by immigration authorities in Texas and removed back to Honduras. He again illegally entered the country in March 2009, and was again promptly removed. At some point, he illegally entered the United States for a third time. He was found in Norfolk in November 2018, when he was arrested on charges of public intoxication, brandishing a firearm, and reckless handling of a firearm.

Valladarez-Martinez pleaded guilty to reentry by an excluded, deported, and removed alien and faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison when sentenced on July 8. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeffrey M. Jacoff, 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 U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty is prosecuting 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-12.