David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that JONY GALEANO LOPEZ-GARCIA, also known as Yoni Lopez Garcia, 27, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Hartford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in November 2017, Lopez-Garcia was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. He was deported to Guatemala in December 2017 and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of five years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently reentered the U.S. in January 2018. He was convicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of illegally entering the U.S. In February 2018, he was deported to Guatemala and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of 20 years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S.

It is further alleged that on November 27, 2025, Hartford Police arrested Lopez-Garcia under the name Yoni Lopez Garcia and charged him with assault first degree, conspiracy to commit assault first degree, assault third degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, threatening second degree by physical threat, and other offenses.

Lopez-Garcia, who was released on bond in his state caseLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., was arrested today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Lopez-Garcia faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.