Salem Man Charged With Reentry After Deportation

BOSTON, MA -- Virgilio Pedro Vicente-Lopez, 39, a Guatemalan national, and five other people were indicted in federal court in Boston on charges of reentering the U.S. after deportation. Vicente-Lopez was arrested on August 17. He had previously been deported in February 2009, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

If convicted, Vicente-Lopez faces sentences of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and each of the defendants will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The other five people named in the release include:

• Marco Lopez-Chavez, 24, a Guatemalan national, was encountered by law enforcement in Lynn on Sept. 2, 2017, and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Lopez-Chavez was previously deported on April 28, 2016.
• Bulmaro Enriquez, 32, a Mexican national, was encountered by law enforcement in Framingham on Nov. 23, 2017, and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Enriquez was previously deported in March 2006.
• Milton Mejia-Padilla, 36, a Honduran national, was encountered by law enforcement in Chelsea on Jan. 7, 2018, and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Mejia-Padilla was previously deported on Aug. 16, 2010.
• Leandro Guimaraes, 38, a Brazilian national, was encountered by law enforcement in Framingham in July 2015, and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Guimaraes was previously deported on Dec. 28, 2003.
• Nivaldo Gomes, 57, a Brazilian national, was encountered by law enforcement in March 2018, and determined to be illegally present in the United States. Gomes was previously deported on Nov. 14, 2012.

In November's election Salem voters approved the city's status as a sanctuary city. Last April City Council reaffirmed the city's existing policy that government officials would not require people to show proof of legal immigration status before receiving city services. A petition drive and City Council's failure to rescind the measure in a heated, May 25 meeting put the question on the November ballot to be decided by voters.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).