Honduran Citizen Pleads Guilty To Being Present In The United States Illegally

Oscar Naun Torres-Hernandez, 22, a citizen of Honduras, pled guilty today in United States District Court in Benton to charges that he was illegally present in the United States after having been previously removed by immigration officials, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The indictment charging Torres-Hernandez was returned by a Federal Grand Jury on November 6, 2012, after he was taken into custody by an Illinois State Police trooper on October 15th at the direction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following a routine traffic stop on Interstate 57 in Effingham County during which the trooper learned that Torres-Hernandez was an illegal alien.

Sentencing was set for April 25, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at the United States District Courthouse in Benton. Torres-Hernandez faces up to 2 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

Torres-Hernandez has been held in federal custody since his arrest on October 15th and was returned to the custody of the United States Marshal to await sentencing.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Illinois State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.