El Salvador National with Double Homicide Conviction Charged with Illegal Reentry

Previously Deported Individual Had Been Sentenced to 50 Years in El Salvador

A citizen of El Salvador, previously convicted of double aggravated homicide and sentenced to 50 years in prison, has been charged with illegally reentering the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

César Eliseo Sorto-Amaya, 28, was charged by complaint with illegal reentry and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court.

According to court documents and public statements, Sorto-Amaya had been deported from the United States three separate times since 2015. One of these deportations followed a conviction for weapons possession in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Despite his removal, he repeatedly returned to the U.S. unlawfully.

In April 2024, authorities in El Salvador convicted Sorto-Amaya in absentia for double aggravated homicide and sentenced him to 50 years in prison.

The investigation was conducted by multiple federal and international agencies, including:

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark,
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and
• Law enforcement authorities in El Salvador.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark is prosecuting the case.

The charges in the complaint remain allegations, and Sorto-Amaya is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.