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May 18, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

El Salvador Citizen Indicted for Illegal Re-Entry

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A 40 year old El Salvador citizen was named in an Indictment returned on May 17, 2011, by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that JUAN ELIAZAR MEDRANO, also known as JUAN FRANCO-MEDRANO, was named in a one count Indictment. The Indictment alleges that MEDRANO, who was previously removed from the United States on December 15, 1999, was found in Berkeley County, West Virginia, on April 8, 2011, without having obtained the express consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.

If convicted, MEDRANO faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.