Julio Cesar Romero-Paredes, 46, of Venezuela, has been charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as an individual illegally present in the United States, and with illegal reentry after previously being deported, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on November 7, 2024, at approximately 12:50 a.m., Romero-Paredes, driving a distinctive motorcycle, illegally crossed into the U.S. near the Haskell Library in Derby Line, Vermont, bypassing barriers. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from nearby ports of entry assisted in locating the motorcycle, which had entered Interstate 91 southbound. The officers found the motorcycle near Exit 28 on I-91 and conducted a traffic stop.
Romero-Paredes, who was operating a Georgia-registered motorcycle, was taken into custody. An inventory search of the motorcycle and its attached bags uncovered a fully loaded Walther Model P22 .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, one round in the chamber, five magazines holding approximately 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, two Glock magazines containing about 30 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and a suspected suppressor.
Immigration records show that Romero-Paredes first entered the U.S. on a visitor’s visa in 2005, but was ordered removed by an immigration judge on or around March 18, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.
The charges outlined in the complaint are allegations only, and Romero-Paredes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for the firearm charge and up to two years for the immigration violation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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