Illegal Immigrant Sentenced To 8 Months In Prison

St. Thomas, USVI - District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez today sentenced Amin Abel Gonell-Artiles, 34, to seven months in prison for illegal reentry into the United States, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.

On June 2, 2014, Gonell-Artiles, a national of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to a onecount indictment charging him with illegal reentry into the United States. Court records show that Gonell-Artiles was removed from the United States on March 4, 2011 after his conviction for Social Security fraud. On February 26, 2014, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations found Gonell-Artiles in the United States, and he did not have the required authorization to reenter the United States.

In addition to seven months in prison, Gonell-Artiles was sentenced to one month home confinement and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. He was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Everard E. Potter.