Five Previously Deported Aliens Charged With Illegal Reentry

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that five previously deported aliens were indicted separately on November 13, 2019, by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States. These matters arose in counties throughout the District including Adams, Cumberland, and Luzerne Counties.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Elmer Martinez-Hernandez, age 24, of Honduras, was previously deported from the United States to Honduras in September 2017.  He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after September 2017, and was found in the United States in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.

Jose Humberto Martinez-Gomez, age 22, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in June 2015.  He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after June 2015, and was found in the United States in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.

Josefina Bautista-Rojas, age 20, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in December 2017.  She is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after December 2017, and was found in the United States in Adams County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.

Martinez-Hernandez, Martinez-Gomez and Bautista-Rojas face a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  

Shinju Park, age 39, an alien who was under a final order of removal from the United States, did willfully fail or refuse to make timely application in good faith for travel or other documents necessary to the alien’s departure from the United States between August and October 2019.

Park faces a maximum penalty of four years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  

Gerardo Medina a/k/a Carlos Sebastian, age 31, of Mexico, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in February 2017.  He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after February 2017, and was found in the United States in Adams County, Pennsylvania after eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.

Medina faces a maximum penalty of ten years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  

These cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).  Assistant United States Attorney Joanne Sanderson is prosecuting the cases.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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