Deported Guatemalan Charged with Illegal Re-entry into U.S., Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

PITTSBURGH - A citizen of Guatemala was indicted on August 25, 2015, by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of Illegal Re-Entry after Deportation and Failing to Register as a Sex Offender, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count indictment named Edward Jacinto Garcia, 30, of Guatemala, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on July 6, 2015, Jacinto Garcia, an alien who, on October 6, 2011, had been deported and removed from the United States, and having unlawfully reentered the United States, was found in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The indictment also charges Jacinto Garcia with traveling in interstate commerce and failing to register as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Jacinto Garcia’s registration requirement stems from a 2009 conviction for the crime of Sexual Assault of a Minor, 1st degree, in Platte County, Nebraska.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.