Citizen of Guatemala Gets 3-Year Prison Sentence for Illegally Returning to U.S., Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

PITTSBURGH - A citizen of Guatemala has been sentenced in federal court to 37 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release on his conviction of illegal re-entry after deportation and failing to register as a sex offender, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States Senior District Judge Gustave Diamond imposed the sentence on Edward Jacinto Garcia, 30, of Guatemala.

According to information presented to the Court on July 6, 2015, Jacinto Garcia, an alien who, on Oct. 6, 2011, had been deported and removed from the United States, and having reentered the United States without permission, was found in Butler County, Pennsylvania, after being arrested and charged with driving under the influence by the Butler Township Police Department. Jacinto Garcia had been deported following conviction in the State of Nebraska of sexual assault of a minor, 1st degree, and serving a period of imprisonment. By reason of this sex offense, Jacinto Garcia was required to register as a sex offender under the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Jacinto Garcia had failed, as required, to register in the State of Pennsylvania, the state in which he was employed during the period June 2015 through July 6, 2015.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Shaun E. Sweeney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshals Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jacinto Garcia.