Federal Indictment Filed Against Guatemalan National on Firearm and Reentry Charges

Okaloosa County, FL (BuzzReport) – A federal grand jury has indicted a 24-year-old Guatemalan national on serious criminal charges tied to illegal reentry into the United States and unlawful possession of a firearm, federal authorities announced.

Selvin J. Tello-Perez is charged with illegal reentry by a previously removed alien and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, according to John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Tello-Perez appeared in federal court in Pensacola, Florida for his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho. A jury trial is set for June 15, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., and will be presided over by U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.

If convicted, Tello-Perez faces significant prison time — up to 15 years for the firearm charge and up to two years for illegal reentry.

The investigation was carried out by multiple federal and local agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

Federal officials emphasized that an indictment is not a conviction. It is a formal allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

Authorities say the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice effort aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and addressing violent crime, human trafficking, and drug trafficking across the country.

The case remains ongoing as it moves toward trial in federal court.