A Honduran national was sentenced on May 6 to 21 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Edwin Leonel Rivera-Gallardo, age 40, was arrested by the Charles Town Police Department in Jefferson County, West Virginia, on charges including third offense driving under the influence and fleeing. Authorities said Rivera-Gallardo had previously been removed from the United States five times before his most recent arrest.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents determined that Rivera-Gallardo once held lawful permanent resident status in the country but lost it following a criminal conviction. He has also used aliases including “William Leonel Gallardo” and “Jose Ortiz Rodriguez Ortiz,” officials said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney and investigated by both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Charles Town Police Department.
This sentencing is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, protect communities from violent crime perpetrators, and address illegal immigration through coordinated efforts by the Department of Justice.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the case.
