El Salvadorian Citizen Convicted of Illegal Reentry after Aggravated Felony

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal jury convicted an El Salvadorian citizen last week on charges of illegal reentry subsequent to an aggravated felony.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jose Molina, 32, illegally reentered the United States after having been previously deported both in 2015 and in 2017. Molina was most recently deported in July 2017 after pleading guilty and serving a sentence in the Southern District of Texas. Molina was first found in Alexandria in February 2022 after an arrest by local law enforcement on unrelated charges. In a sworn affidavit upon his arrest by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in October 2022, Molina admitted that he was a citizen of El Salvador, that he had been previously deported, that he reentered the United States in 2018, and that he did not have the permission of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.

Molina faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on April 19. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston accepted the verdict.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Clark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Ray are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-209.