Gulfport, Miss. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced yesterday to 16 months in federal prison for  unlawful reentry by an alien removed after conviction of a felony, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michael J. Harrison, Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.

According to court documents, Gerber Estif Pineda-Sierra, 34, was arrested in November 2020 by agents with the U.S. Border Patrol following an investigation which determined that Pineda-Sierra, who had been previously removed from the United States, was residing in the Gulfport, Mississippi area.  Record checks documented that in 2018, Pineda-Sierra had been physically removed from the U.S. after being ordered removed by a U.S. Immigration Judge.  Thereafter, he reentered the U.S. and was convicted in the Northern District of Florida in 2019 for the felony offense of illegal reentry into the U.S. of a previously deported alien.  Pineda-Sierra was again removed from the U.S.  In January 2020, he was arrested again by the Border Patrol, and was returned to Guatemala in February 2020.

Pineda-Sierra was sentenced today to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  He may also face Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings.  If he is removed from the United States following his prison sentence, Pineda-Sierra could face additional penalties if he were to unlawfully return to the United States, in addition to further prosecution.  As a result of this felony conviction, if Pineda-Sierra were to unlawfully return to the United States, he could face up to ten years in federal prison.  Pineda-Sierra was convicted after pleading guilty on February 23, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Darren J. LaMarca, praised the investigative work of the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.