Venezuelan Man Pleads Guilty to Gun and Immigration Charges After Illegal Entry at Derby Line
DERBY LINE — An illegal immigrant from Venezuela, who possessed a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic and a silencer without a serial number while sneaking across the international border at the Haskell Library and Opera House in Derby Line, has pleaded guilty in federal court to gun and immigration charges. Julio Cesar Romero-Paredes, 46, will continue to be detained pending his sentencing in U.S. District Court by Judge Mary Kay Lanthier in Rutland on Aug. 27. Romero-Paredes admitted in court last week that he drove a Georgia-registered motorcycle around the barriers outside the historic library about 12:50 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2024, and tried to avoid legal reporting to enter the country, records show. Romero-Paredes faces up to 15 ½ years in prison, up to 3 years of federal supervised release, and up to $255,000 in fines for the two convictions.
