Jury convicts illegal alien for unlawfully being in United States

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 50-year-old bus passenger from El Salvador has been found guilty of illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The jury deliberated for less than 10 minutes before finding Jose Leandro Juarez-Rivas guilty following a one-day trial.

On Feb. 18, authorities were conducting immigration inspections on a commercial bus at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint. During that time, they discovered Juarez-Rivas did not have legal authorization to be in the country.

The jury heard that he was first ordered removed in May 2018 and illegally returned earlier this year.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that Juarez-Rivas did not know he was ordered removed from the United States or that he was not allowed to reenter the United States. The jury rejected those claims and found him guilty as charged.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over trial and set sentencing for Aug. 19. At that time Juarez-Rivas faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Min Burkett and Patrick Overman are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.