Illegal Alien Located in Richland County Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-Entry

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Julio Domingo-Morales, age 42, of Guatemala, 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 Mary Geiger Lewis, 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 Domingo-Morales was encountered by ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations agents on January 10, 2018, at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia after he was arrested for Driving Without a License. An investigation revealed that he is a citizen of Guatemala who had previously been deported two 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 agents 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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