Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national wanted for arrest in his home country of Guatemala was sentenced today in federal court in Boston.  

Francisco Cuxum Alvarado, a/k/a Francisco Cuxun-Alvarado, 64, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to six months in prison. Following his sentence, Cuxum Alvarado will be subject to extradition to Guatemala. In September 2019, Cuxum Alvarado pleaded guilty to one count of illegal reentry into the United States, and has been detained since he was indicted in May 2019.  

“The United States will not serve as a safe haven for individuals sought for prosecution abroad,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “After service his sentence in the U.S., Mr. Cuxum Alvarado will be returned to Guatemala to face prosecution for his alleged crimes.”

“Cuxum Alvarado will now face removal to his own country,” said Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigation in Boston. “By holding Cuxum Alvarado accountable for his violations of U.S. immigration law, today’s sentencing allows for the next critical stage in this case. That’s a fitting next step in the search for justice sought by Guatemala.”

The prosecutor presented evidence that Cuxum Alvarado was implicated in crimes against humanity by participating in the mass sexual assault of indigenous women in Guatemala in the early 1980s. The Guatemalan government obtained an INTERPOL Red Notice in 2018 for Cuxum Alvarado’s arrest, which is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest suspects pending extradition to the jurisdiction in which they are charged.  

On April 30, 2019, Cuxum Alvarado was located in Waltham and arrested. At the time of his arrest, Cuxum Alvarado was unlawfully in the United States. He previously unlawfully entered the country in March 2004 in Arizona, and was ordered to be removed. 

U.S. Attorney Lelling and Acting HSI Boston SAC Molina, made the announcement today. The Waltham Police Department and the HSI Attaché in Guatemala City, Guatemala assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott L. Garland, Deputy Chief of Lelling’s National Security Unit, prosecuted the case.