Yunior Benavides, a 49-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported, according to a March 12 announcement from David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address illegal reentry cases involving individuals previously convicted of serious offenses. Benavides had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to a narcotics distribution conspiracy in the Hartford area and was sentenced to 60 months in prison before being deported in November 2013.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Benavides subsequently returned unlawfully to the United States. On March 6, HSI agents stopped a car in West Hartford as part of a drug trafficking investigation and identified Benavides as being unlawfully present in the country. He was taken into custody at that time.
Benavides appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained pending further proceedings. If convicted on the charge of unlawful reentry, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan said, “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.” The matter is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative utilizing Department of Justice resources aimed at combating illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.