Dominican Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – A Dominican man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Manny Bautista-Arias, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Oct. 26, 2023. Bautista-Arias was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023. 

Bautista-Arias was removed from the United States in September 2017 after being convicted of possession of a controlled drug with intent to sell in New Hampshire. Sometime after his removal, Bautista-Arias unlawfully returned to the United States. In November 2018, Bautista-Arias was removed from the United States again following an illegal reentry conviction in the Northern District of Georgia. 

Bautista-Arias unlawfully reentered the United States for a second time and in November 2022, he was arrested in Quincy for trafficking cocaine, possession to distribute methamphetamine, trafficking fentanyl and conspiracy to violate the controlled substance act. He was subsequently transferred into the custody of immigration authorities in June 2023. 

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.