COLUMBUS, Ohio — A federal grand jury has indicted two men in separate cases involving illegal reentry into the United States and firearms possession by an undocumented immigrant, federal officials announced.

El Salvadoran national accused of illegal reentry after felony conviction

Carlos Gonzales-Hernandez, 55, a citizen of El Salvador, has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after being previously convicted of an aggravated felony.

According to court records, Gonzales-Hernandez was detained in Madison County in January 2025 following a traffic stop and was later transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Officials discovered that he had previously been removed from the U.S. after serving six years in prison for three counts of gross sexual imposition in Franklin County.

If convicted, Gonzales-Hernandez could face up to 20 years in federal prison due to his prior aggravated felony conviction.

Honduran national charged with illegal firearm possession

In a separate case, Elmer Edison Rodriguez-Guzman, 46, a citizen of Honduras, has been charged with possession of a firearm by an undocumented immigrant and illegal reentry into the United States.

Rodriguez-Guzman, who has no legal status in the U.S., has been removed from the country multiple times—either deported to Honduras or voluntarily returned to Mexico.

According to court documents, Rodriguez-Guzman was a passenger in a vehicle stopped in Cambridge, Ohio, in July 2024 for having no taillights. During the stop, law enforcement discovered a handgun, a double-barrel shotgun, and ammunition. He was arrested in Guernsey County and later transferred to federal custody.

Federal penalties for illegal reentry

Under federal law, illegally reentering the U.S. carries a sentence of up to two years in prison. However, if an individual has prior misdemeanor offenses, the penalty increases to 10 years, and for those with aggravated felony convictions, the maximum sentence is 20 years.

The indictments were announced by Kelly A. Norris, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Robert Lynch, Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila G. Lafferty is prosecuting both cases.

Officials emphasized that an indictment only contains allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.