Gilberto Arana Wence was arrested Friday at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and charged with illegal re-entry by a removed alien, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced Monday.
According to court documents, Wence was departing St. Thomas for Charlotte, North Carolina, and then on to San Francisco, California, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers determined he was not lawfully present in the United States. Based on record checks conducted using Wence’s fingerprints, officers discovered that he had previously been removed from the United States under a different name.
He made an initial appearance in federal court Monday.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper.
