Honduras Man Convicted Entering the U.S. After Removal

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Mario Ernesto Garcia-Zavala, 22, a citizen of Honduras, was convicted today following non-jury trial in U.S. District Court of having entered the United States after being removed or deported.

The evidence at trial showed that Garcia-Zavala, who had unlawfully entered the United States, was ordered removed to Honduras on March 29, 2014 and was in fact removed on a government airplane four days later.  Garcia-Zavala did not apply for permission to reenter the United States. He was arrested in Portland on September 9, 2017 after a Maine State Trooper stopped the van in which he was a passenger for traffic violations.  

Garcia-Zavala faces up to two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and two years of supervised release.  He will be sentenced after the United States Probation Office prepares a presentence report. It is expected that Garcia-Zavala will be returned to Honduras after his sentence is completed.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Removal Operations and the Maine State Police.