Philly Rapist Admits To Illegal Reentry After Deportation: Feds

PHILADELPHIA – A Honduran national who was deported in 2009, then reentered the country and raped a child after being released by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons was convicted of illegally coming back to the United States on Tuesday, federal officials said.

Juan Ramon Vasquez, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation in May 2009, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain said.

In March 2014, Vasquez was found back in the United States by U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, federal authorities said.

At that time, Vasquez was in the custody of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, according to officials.

The City of Philadelphia thereafter chose not to comply with a detainer lodged by ICE for Vasquez, who was instead released from custody by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, federal authorities said.

After being released, Vasquez was rearrested and convicted for rape of a child and unlawful sexual contact with a minor, according to officials. He is serving a sentence of 8 to 20 years in state prison, federal authorities said.

Vasquez, after pleading guilty to the federal charge of illegal reentry after deportation, faces a maximum possible sentence of two years in federal prison, according to officials.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, authorities said.

"The facts of this case highlight the danger posed by the City of Philadelphia’s decision to disregard ICE detainers and release previously deported aliens from local custody,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Those of us in the law enforcement business should be doing everything in our power to protect vulnerable children from predators like Vasquez. Instead, this defendant received a free pass from the City of Philadelphia and its Department of Prisons, headed straight back into our community, and committed a heinous crime he never would have had the chance to commit had the City of Philadelphia complied with the ICE detainer.”

The case was investigated by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vineet Gauri.

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