Unregistered Sex Offender in the U.S. Illegally Sentenced in Federal Court

Santamaria-Rodriguez, a sex offender previously deported from the United States, illegally reentered the country and failed to register as a sex offender for more than 10 years.

A man who was illegally in the United States and was an unregistered sex offender June 25, 2020, was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison.

William Noeli Santamaria-Rodriguez, age 36, from El Salvador, received the prison term after a July 26, 2019, guilty plea to one count of illegal re-entry of an aggravated felon and a December 19, 2019, guilty plea to one count of failure to register as a sex offender.

Santamaria-Rodriguez came to the attention of immigration authorities after his July 5, 2019, arrest in Crawford County for driving without a license.  In a plea hearing held on July 26, 2019, Santamaria-Rodriguez admitted he was illegally in the United States after being deported as an aggravated felon to El Salvador on May 16, 2008.  His deportation was the result of a June 15, 2006, conviction of two counts of assault with intent/sex abuse in Crawford County, Iowa. Santamaria-Rodriguez was required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and knowingly failed to do so.  The Iowa Sex Offense Registry and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office records do not show the defendant ever registered as a sex offender since his illegal reentry in 2008 through July 5, 2019.

Santamaria-Rodriguez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Santamaria-Rodriguez was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Santamaria-Rodriguez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fletcher and investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations and the United States Marshals Service.