Alien Located in Columbia Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-Entry

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Hugo Rolando Canenguez-Montes, age 52, of El Salvador, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia, to  Illegal Re-Entry, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a).  United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Canenguez was encountered by DHS/ICE agents on December 10, 2017, at the Lexington County Detention Center in Lexington after he was arrested for Kidnapping and Criminal Sexual Conduct 1^st Degree. An investigation revealed that Canenguez is a citizen of El Salvador who had been deported five times pursuant to an order of removal. U.S. Attorney Drake stated the maximum penalty for Illegal Re-Entry is imprisonment for 2 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by officers of the ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations.  Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II, of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

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