ST. THOMAS -- Dionis Luiz Gomez, 31, of Venezuela and Roman Perez Hernandez, 34, of Argentina were sentenced today to 52 days for illegal entry, announced United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller also ordered Gomez and Hernandez to each pay a $10 special assessment.
According to court documents, on October 21, 2018 at approximately 9:00 p.m., agents of the United States Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations were patrollingthe coastline of St. John near Haulover Bay, USVI when they encountered a Virgin Islandsregistered vessel with no running lights illuminated. Upon further inspection, the agents determined that there were five males onboard, including defendants Gomez and Hernandez. The vessel was on course to an area that is not a port of entry authorized by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Following his apprehension by federal law enforcement, defendant Gomez was read his Miranda Rights in Spanish language and waived his rights both verbally and in writing. He stated that he had arrived in Tortola, BVI on September 27, 2018
Neither Gomez nor Hernandez were U.S. citizens, but were nationals of Venezuela and Argentina, respectively. Gomez and Hernandez did not have permission to enter the United States and the area where the boat was stopped was not a designated port of entry.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
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