Virginia man deported twice receives prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States again

Alexandria, Virginia – A Honduran man with a lengthy criminal history in Virginia has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after authorities said he illegally returned to the United States multiple times following previous deportations.

Federal officials announced that Franklin Geovany Alvarez-Villanueva, 54, received a prison sentence of three years and four months on May 20 for illegally reentering the country after being removed twice before.

Court documents show Alvarez-Villanueva has accumulated criminal convictions in Fairfax County dating back nearly three decades.

According to prosecutors, his criminal record began in 1997 when he was convicted of assault and possession of a controlled substance in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Three years later, in 2000, Alvarez-Villanueva was convicted again in Fairfax County, this time for grand larceny and distribution of controlled substances.

Following those convictions, immigration authorities removed him from the United States on Oct. 18, 2002.

Multiple Illegal Reentries Led to Federal Sentence

Federal prosecutors said Alvarez-Villanueva later returned to the United States illegally and continued committing crimes after reentering the country.

In 2013, he was convicted of possession with intent to manufacture or sell cocaine. Two years later, in 2015, he was convicted of unlawful reentry after removal following an aggravated felony conviction.

Authorities deported him again on June 30, 2017.

Despite that removal, federal officials said Alvarez-Villanueva illegally entered the country once more. In 2025, he was convicted in Fairfax County for possession of cocaine.

Federal prosecutors said Alvarez-Villanueva pleaded guilty on Feb. 18 in the Eastern District of Virginia to illegally reentering the United States.

Officials noted that he remains subject to his prior removal order.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington, D.C., investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jacob A. Mercer prosecuted the matter on behalf of the federal government.

The case is part of a larger federal enforcement initiative known as Operation Take Back America.

According to the Department of Justice, the nationwide initiative is intended to use federal law enforcement resources to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and target violent offenders.

Federal authorities continue emphasizing prosecutions involving repeat immigration violations tied to criminal convictions as part of broader border and public safety enforcement efforts taking place across the country.