U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Several Illegal Re-Entry Prosecutions

Baltimore, Maryland - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced, today, that it recently secured multiple immigration-related prosecutions against illegal aliens, including against a sex offender, in connection with the Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the prosecutions with Field Office Director Robert Guadian, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO) - Washington Field Office.

Edwin Abel Aplicano-Vargas, 36, an illegal alien from Honduras who is currently serving a prison sentence for third-degree sexual offense convictions in Prince George's County, is facing indictment for illegal re-entry after prior removal. According to court documents, Aplicano-Vargas unlawfully re-entered the United States after authorities removed him in 2011.

Ten additional illegal aliens are also facing indictment for re-entry crimes. A grand jury indicted two illegal aliens from Guatemala, Juan Cerritos, 47, and Dular Antonio Diaz-Diaz, 35, for illegal re-entry. According to court documents, Cerritos, unlawfully re-entered the United States after authorities removed him in 2014, and Diaz-Diaz illegally re-entered after authorities previously removed him in 2019.

El Salvadoran illegal aliens Bryan Francisco Cortez Martinez, 28; Olvin Alexis Duran-Escobar, 29; Juan Benito Sanchez Hernandez, 41; Jose Luis Melara Jandres, 40; Rafael Antionio Melgar, 38; and Santos Sosa-Portillo, 37, are also charged with illegal re-entry after prior removal. According to court documents, Sanchez Hernandez, Cortez Martinez, and Melara Jandres unlawfully re-entered the United States after authorities previously removed them in 2018, 2019, and 2021, respectively, while Duran-Escobar, Melgar, and Sosa-Portillo illegally re-entered in 2015.

In addition, two Mexican illegal aliens are charged with illegal re-entry crimes. Quirino Guerrero-Liberato, 36, is charged with illegal re-entry after two prior removals, as authorities last removed him in 2023, and Carlos Alberto Osorio-Suarez, 33, faces the same charges after law enforcement previously removed him in 2023.

Additionally, two aliens pled guilty to illegal re-entry crimes. Juan Carlos Rivas-Montano, an illegal alien from El Salvador, pled guilty to illegal re-entry of an alien removed after a felony conviction, including prior felony convictions for illegal re-entry and sexual offense in the third degree. Authorities deported Rivas-Montano in 2006 and 2021 before law enforcement found him illegally present in the U.S. in Hyattsville in December 2025. Celstino Patishtan, 21, an illegal alien from Mexico, pled guilty in federal court to illegal re-entry after prior removal. According to court documents, Patishtan, 21, unlawfully re-entered the United States after authorities removed him previously, in 2024, after serving a one-year sentence for first-degree burglary in Cecil County.

These cases are 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.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in these investigations. Ms. Hayes also thanked the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting these federal cases.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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