Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry After Deportation

BOSTON - A Dominican national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after being deported.  

Herminio Polanco-Huma, 26, a Dominican national formerly residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton scheduled sentencing for Sept. 20, 2018.

In February 2017, federal law enforcement encountered Polanco-Huma in Florida and determined that he was illegally present in the United States. Polanco-Huma was placed into removal proceedings, and on Feb. 21, 2017, he was deported to the Dominican Republic.

In November 2017, Polanco-Huma was encountered awaiting trial at the Essex County House of Corrections having been arrested for distribution of cocaine. Polanco-Huma’s prints were obtained and found to be a positive match to prints contained in his Alien File. In May 2018, Polanco-Huma was convicted in Essex Superior Court of distribution of cocaine and sentenced to three years and one day in prison.  

Polanco-Huma faces a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Rebecca J. Adducci, Interim Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.