El Salvadoran Man With Serious Criminal History Sentenced For Illegally Re-Entering the United States and For Violating The Terms of Supervised Release

A man charged with illegal re-entry following an aggravated felony conviction, and with violating the terms of his federal supervised release was sentenced December 21, 2015, to 120 months (10 years), and 24 months imprisonment, respectively.       

Inmar Hernandez-Pineda, age 25, from El Salvador, received the prison terms after a guilty plea to one count of illegally re-entering the United States following a conviction as an aggravated felon.  At the guilty plea, Hernandez-Pineda admitted he had illegally re-entered the United States from El Salvador after prior aggravated felony convictions of criminal mischief 2^nd degree, and theft 2^nd degree in Woodbury County in 2009.

Hernandez-Pineda came to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he was arrested on June 5, 2015, by the Sioux City police for robbery, and going armed with intent when he and another individual committed an armed robbery at Natalia’s Bakery in Sioux City. During the robbery, defendant was armed with an eight-inch knife and his accomplice was armed with a shotgun.  During the robbery, the bakery owner’s son fought with the accomplice, who pulled a knife and stabbed the owner’s son in the shoulder and scalp. Defendant committed the armed robbery of Natalia’s Bakery on June 5, 2015, after his last deportation on September 29, 2014.    

Hernandez-Pineda was sentenced in Sioux City, Iowa by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Hernandez-Pineda was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for illegal re-entry, and 24 months imprisonment for violation of his federal supervised release. A special assessment of $100 was also imposed. He must serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Hernandez-Pineda is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to the Iowa Department of Corrections to begin to serve his state sentence prior to serving his federal sentence.   

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by the Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau and the Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 15-CR-4039.

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