Mexican Citizen Encountered In Franklin County Indicted For Illegal Reentry

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, announced today that a
30-year-old native and citizen of Mexico has been charged with illegal reentry into the United States.

     According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Miguel Angel Bautista-Valdez, age 30, a native and citizen of Mexico, in the United States illegally was charged in a one-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg today.

     The indictment alleges that Bautista-Valdez, an alien who has previously been arrested, and deported from the United States on January 9, 2008, did knowingly and unlawfully reenter the United States and was apprehended in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

     This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Alice Song Hartye.

     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 guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

     In this particular case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is two years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. 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.