Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Immigration Related Matters

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Guatemalan man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation; Trafficking with Respect to Peonage, Slavery, Involuntary Servitude or Forced Labor; Harboring Aliens; Extortion; and Possession of Firearm by Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 17, 2024, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

William Waldemar Godoy, age 32, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution of $2, 810, as well as $700 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and was also ordered to forfeit $8,750.

Godoy was initially indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022, but a superseding indictment was filed in March of 2024. He was convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation; Trafficking with Respect to Peonage, Slavery, Involuntary Servitude or Forced Labor; Harboring Aliens; Extortion; and Possession of Firearm by Prohibited Person after a jury trial on April 4, 2024.

The evidence at trial showed Godoy was bringing individuals into the United States illegally to work and then threatening them with physical or financial harm if they did not pay him for the smuggling fee and high interest rates. He was also convicted of illegally re-entering the United States himself after previously being deported. Evidence also showed he possessed firearms belonging to another individual despite being prohibited from doing so because he was unlawfully in the United States.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.

Godoy was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.