John Acosta-bermudez Charged With Reentry After Deportation

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that John Acosta-Bermudez, a Columbian citizen who has landed immigrant status in Canada, appeared today in United States District Court in Burlington on a charge that he reentered the United States after having been deported.  U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy ordered that the defendant be detained pending his next hearing.

According to the criminal complaint, immigration officials at the Route 5 Port-of-Entry in Derby Line observed a black vehicle enter the United States in mid-morning on March 29, 2014.  The car did not stop at the Port for inspection, but instead headed south on Interstate 91.  A Border Patrol agent followed and stopped the car on the highway.  Acosta-Bermudez was driving and an undocumented alien was the passenger.  Acosta-Bermudez has twice been deported from the United States following a New York robbery conviction and a federal passport fraud conviction.  As a deportee, Acosta-Bermudez cannot return to the United States without the advance permission of the Attorney General.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge against Acosta-Bermudez is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

If convicted, the defendant faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.  The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.

Acosta-Bermudez is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender David McColgin.  The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.