MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Reentry

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadoran man who has been charged with multiple murders in El Salvador was sentenced today to one year in prison for illegally reentering the United States.

According to court documents, Fily Giovany Amaya-Martinez, 36, a known MS-13 member, was removed at taxpayer expense from the United States to El Salvador in 2003 following a conviction for an aggravated felony in Fairfax County. Amaya-Martinez reentered the United States illegally in 2009 after being charged with multiple murders in El Salvador and lived undetected in northern Virginia until an anti-gang task force discovered his illegal presence in 2018.

“After allegedly committing multiple murders in El Salvador, this violent MS-13 gang member fled El Salvador and illegally crossed our southern border to get back into the United States,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This case is a prime example of our need for strong borders and why this office continues to prioritize criminal immigration cases. My thanks to the dedicated anti-gang task force agents for their outstanding work on this important case, and for removing this dangerous felon from our community.”

“Amaya-Martinez fled justice in his home country and defied the laws of this country when he illegally reentered,” said Lyle Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. “Today’s sentencing answers his defiance. We stand with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in resolute commitment to continue to ensure that our communities are safe from dangerous criminals.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Lyle Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dober and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Berrang prosecuted 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. 1:18-cr-413.