Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – A Salvadoran national pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Juan Alberto Orellana Pena, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4, 2025. Orellana Pena was arrested on a criminal complaint and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2024. Orellana Pena has remained in custody since.

Orellana Pena unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date. In 1998, he was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years of age or older, in
Worcester District Court. He was later removed from the United States in May 2008.

Sometime after his May 2008 removal, Orellana Pena unlawfully reentered the United States. In August 2012, in Uxbridge, Orellana Pena was stopped for speeding resulting in Orellana Pena being indicted for illegal reentry of a deported alien in October 2012. Orellana Pena was sentenced to a term of one year and a day in federal prison. In November 2013, upon completion of this sentence, Orellana Pena was removed from the United States.

On an unknown date after his November 2013 removal, Orellana Pena reentered the United States. Federal authorities became aware of Orellana Pena’s return to the United States after he was arrested in Worcester for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a family household member and assault and battery on or about June 16, 2024.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.