Fredericksburg Man Pleads Guilty To DWI, Indicted On Immigration Charge

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A Fredericksburg man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated in Stafford County last December was indicted Thursday in federal court for illegal reentry after deportation, according to court records.

In Stafford General District Court, Jose Eligio Mendoza Machada pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2025 to a misdemeanor DWI: second offense charge, court records say. He was sentenced to 180 days of unsupervised probation, with 150 days suspended. His drivers license was also suspended for three years.

The charges stemmed from an Oct. 6, 2025 arrest in which Mendoza Machada was released on a summons after being processed at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, according to court documents.

On or around Oct. 6, a deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Fairfax County learned about Mendoza Machada's processing at the jail in Stafford County, according to an affidavit the officer submitted in support of a criminal complaint.

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After matching Mendoza Machada's fingerprints to those in the FBI database, the officer reviewed ICE's Alien File and determined the suspect was a citizen and national of El Salvador, the report says.

Mendoza Machada's file with ICE showed that he had been deported from New Orleans, Louisiana on or about Oct. 4, 2013. The deportation occurred after the Mendoza Machada had been found guilty on June 28, 2012 on a felony hit and run charge in Virginia, the affidavit says.

Mendoza Machada had pleaded guilty in Virginia Beach General District Court to leaving the scene of an accident on Jan. 1, 2012, according to records in the Virginia Judiciary database. The offense was a Class 5 felony, which carries a punishment of one to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail, plus a fine up to $2,500, under the Code of Virginia. Mendoza Machada was fined $450.

Between his 2012 conviction and 2025 arrest, Mendoza Machada had six other charges levied against him in Virginia, all either traffic infractions or misdemeanors and none involving drugs or violence, according to the database.

Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis of the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia in Alexandria issued a warrant for Mendoza Machada's arrest on Dec. 19, 2025, according to court records. The same day, he issued a detention order for the suspect, who had waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Mendoza Machada is scheduled to be arraigned at 10 a.m. on Jan. 15 in the federal court in Alexandria on a charge of illegal reentry after deportation subsequent to a felony conviction, court records say.

The charge Mendoza Machada is facing [8:1326(a) & (b)(1)] carries an "enhanced penalty," and typically applies to aliens removed after convictions for three or more misdemeanors involving drugs, crimes against the person or both; or a felony charge, other than an aggravated felony, under U.S. law. If found guilty, Mendoza Machada faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine.