Illegal alien from Honduras pleads guilty to re-entering the United States five times

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that an illegal alien from Honduras pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the country for a fifth time.

Selvin Ponce-Hernandez, 27, of Honduras, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of illegal re-entry of a removed alien. According to the indictment, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ponce-Hernandez on August 9, 2018 for domestic abuse battery, possession of a stolen firearm and resisting an officer. The defendant’s wife reported the battery and deputies found him hiding in the closet of an abandoned apartment. The defendant was previously removed from the United States four times - November 2008, December 2009, January 2012 and October 2015. He also has two previous criminal convictions. He was convicted in August of 2008 of criminal mischief in Houston Texas, and in October 2009 in the Southern District of Texas for illegal re-entry of a removed alien.

Ponce-Hernandez faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and possible deportation.  Sentencing has been set for April 3, 2019.

Homeland Security Investigations, the ATF and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.