Salvadoran Man Sentenced for Illegal Reentry
- Moises Osvaldo Sorto-Iraeta, with a prior felony, was sentenced for illegal reentry after arrests in Loudoun and Prince William counties. - He had multiple prior arrests in the local area. - The sentencing reflects federal enforcement against repeat immigration violators (patch.com).
A federal judge in Alexandria sentenced Moises Osvaldo Sorto-Iraeta to 16 months in prison on April 15 for illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal. (justice.gov) The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said Sorto-Iraeta, 31, had been removed on May 19, 2017, after a Prince William County aggravated felony conviction. He remains subject to that earlier removal order. (justice.gov) Court documents cited by prosecutors say he was found guilty on March 6, 2017, of unlawful bodily injury for taking part in an assault outside a Prince William County restaurant. He received a five-year sentence that was suspended when he was deported. (justice.gov) Federal illegal reentry cases turn on a narrow question: whether a person who was previously removed returned to the country without legal permission. Penalties can increase when the earlier removal followed an aggravated felony conviction, as prosecutors said happened here. (justice.gov) The case moved back into federal court after local arrests in Loudoun County. Prosecutors said Sorto-Iraeta was arrested on Dec. 30, 2023, on assault and weapon charges and was convicted on Feb. 7, 2024, of assault and battery and brandishing a firearm. (justice.gov) Three months after that prison term, prosecutors said, he was arrested again in Loudoun County on April 29, 2025, for possession of cocaine. He was sentenced on Oct. 10, 2025, to 90 days in prison. (justice.gov) The Eastern District of Virginia has been publicly highlighting illegal reentry prosecutions since early 2025. In a March 19, 2025 update, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert said the office was advancing multiple cases after Jan. 20 executive orders on immigration enforcement. (justice.gov) The Justice Department said Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Washington field office investigated Sorto-Iraeta’s case, which was filed in federal court as Case No. 1:25-cr-319. His sentence closes the criminal case, while the prior removal order stays in place. (justice.gov)
