Dominican Man Pleads Guilty To Illegally Reentering The United States And Distributing Fentanyl
Defendant previously convicted of heroin distribution conspiracy
BOSTON – A Dominican man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to reentering the United States and distributing fentanyl after previously being deported.
Juan Carlos Santos-Ocasio, a/k/a “Cristhian Aybar-Done,” 40, was indicted on one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10, 2024. Santos-Ocasio was initially arrested and charged in November 2022 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2022
In October 2007, Santos-Ocasio was arrested in the Bronx, N.Y., on heroin distribution conspiracy charges. Santos-Ocasio is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and did not have legal authority to be present in the United States. In November 2008, Santos-Ocasio pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to heroin distribution conspiracy and was subsequently sentenced to 37 months in prison. He was removed from the United States upon completion of his sentence in the summer of 2010.
Sometime after his removal, Santos-Ocasio reentered the United States unlawfully. In November 2022, he was arrested in Lawrence for allegedly reentering the United States without authorization. In addition to being in the U.S. without authorization, Santos-Ocasio also distributed 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
The charge of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
