OHIO — A previously convicted sex offender has been arrested and federally charged with illegally reentering the United States.
Carlos Gonzales Hernandez, 55, of El Salvador, appeared in federal court in Columbus on Thursday following his arrest earlier this month.
According to court records, Gonzales Hernandez was convicted in Franklin County in August 2017 on three felony counts of gross sexual imposition and sentenced to six years in prison.
In September 2022, he was deported based on a final immigration order.
On Jan. 2, Madison County sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on Gonzales Hernandez for traffic violations.
He was arrested and placed in the Tri-County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg before being taken into federal custody.
He is now charged with illegally reentering the United States, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
If his prior conviction is determined to be an aggravated felony, the penalty could increase to up to 20 years.
The charges were announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Robert Lynch, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit. Assistant United States Attorney Sheila G. Lafferty is handling the case.
A criminal complaint contains allegations, and Gonzales Hernandez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
