Juan Lorenzo Matias Peralta, 38 of the Dominican Republic was sentenced Monday 45 days for illegal entry, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller also ordered Peralta to pay a $10 special assessment.
According to court documents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations stopped a vessel in the area of North Haulover Bay, St. John, after agents observed that the vessel had no lights. After the boat was stopped, agents observed five male individuals onboard. Peralta was one of the five, and it was determined he was not a U.S. citizen, but a national of the Dominican Republic.
Peralta did not have permission to enter the United States and the area where the boat was stopped was not a designated port of entry.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
