Guatemalan National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that SERGIO HIPOLITO REYES CORDERO, 52, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on October 22, 2011, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) arrested Reyes in Freer, Texas. Reyes, who was using the alias "Jose Armando Mendoza Jimenez" and claimed to be a citizen of Mexico, was returned to Mexico that same day. On October 27, 2011, USBP arrested Reyes in Calexico, California. USBP transferred Reyes to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which determined that Reyes was a citizen of Guatemala. Reyes was removed to Guatemala on November 16, 2011. On December 6, 2011, USBP arrested Reyes in Laredo, Texas. He was removed to Guatemala on December 28, 2011. On January 23, 2012, USBP again arrested Reyes in Laredo, Texas. Reyes was charged in the Southern District of Texas with illegally reentering the U.S., convicted of the offense, sentenced to 15 days of imprisonment, and removed to Guatemala on February 22, 2012.

It is further alleged that Reyes again illegally reentered the U.S. On August 18, 2025, Reyes was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury of two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of moving a dead body without a permit. Reyes was sentenced to five years of incarceration, execution suspended after two years, and five years of probation, for the offenses. He was released from state prison yesterday.

Reyes appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Reyes faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis L. Beyerlein.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.