Man from El Salvador pleads guilty to reentering the U.S. after having been removed four times

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a man from El Salvador pleaded guilty Thursday to reentering the United States after having been previously removed four times.

Aristides Arevalo-Rodriguez, 44, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of illegal reentry following removal. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter. According to the guilty plea, Arevalo-Rodriguez was found in Calcasieu Parish on March 21, 2017. It was discovered that the defendant had been removed four times from the United States. The most recent removal was September 30, 2011 at or near Houston, Texas.

Arevalo-Rodriguez faces up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set sentencing for October 27, 2017.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security – U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Forrest Phillips is prosecuting the case.