Illegal Alien Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court

Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Edgar Rolando Castro Soc, age 37, of Myrtle Beach, SC, pled guilty in federal court in Florence, to Illegal Re-Entry into the United States, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell of Florence accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
 
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on September 1, 2016, ICE-ERO Officers discovered Castro Soc while he was in custody in the Myrtle Beach City jail on state charges. The officers determined that he was an alien who was unlawfully in the United States. 

Records checks revealed that Castro Soc, a native and citizen of Guatemala, had previously been deported from the United States on five (5) occasions. Castro Soc has never received permission to enter or remain in the U.S. 

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty the defendant can receive is imprisonment for 2 years, a fine of $250,000 and a special assessment of $100.

The case was investigated by agents of the ICE-ERO Homeland Security Investigations.   Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office handled the case.

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