Guatemalan Citizen Charged With Unlawful Reentry

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Luis Fernando Escalante, age 43, of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on illegal reentry charges.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that on May 5, 2021, Escalante was removed from the United States through Santa Teresa, New Mexico to Guatemala, and it is alleged that he reentered the United States without first receiving legal permission to do so.  The indictment also alleges that Escalante was encountered on June 7, 2022, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and the Swatara Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 2 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. 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.

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

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