Bean Town Times

A Methuen resident has admitted guilt in a federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. Santos Guzman, aged 55, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper, who has set the sentencing date for February 12, 2025. Guzman was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021.

Guzman is a citizen of the Dominican Republic. He initially entered the United States at an unspecified time and location and was later convicted in 2019 for two state drug trafficking offenses. In November 2019, he was ordered to be removed from the United States and was deported back to the Dominican Republic on January 7, 2020. Despite this, Guzman reentered the United States at an unknown time and place. In November 2021, he was arrested again on new state drug trafficking charges. His fingerprints from his removal documents were matched with those taken during his November 2021 arrest, confirming his identity.

The charge of illegal reentry carries a potential maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing decisions are made by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern criminal case sentencing.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director of Boston's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus from the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.