Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man at the center of a bitter, months-long political and legal fight after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, has been returned to the United States to face criminal charges, according to an indictment announced Friday.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his return and the indictment at a press conference at the Department of Justice.

“This is what American justice looks like,” Bondi said.

She thanked Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for agreeing to send Abrego Garcia back

Bondi told reporters that a federal grand jury indicted Abrego Garcia on May 21 in Tennessee over allegations he conspired to transport thousands of migrants without legal status from Texas across the U.S. between 2016-2025. The two-count indictment accuses Abrego Garcia “of conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain” and “unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.”

Bondi says Abrego Garcia will face trial in the U.S. on these charges and, if found guilty, will serve time in a U.S. prison before being deported back to El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia’s attorney said they’re going to keep fighting to get him a fair trial. “Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they’re bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This shows that they were playing games with the court all along,” Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told NPR. “Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you’re punished, not after. This is an abuse of power, not justice.”

A Salvadoran native who had been living with his wife and children in Maryland, Abrego Garcia was deported in March to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution. The Trump administration admitted that it had deported Abrego Garcia due to an “administrative error,” but later defended the move, claiming he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13. His wife and attorneys deny that.

The 10-page criminal indictment unsealed today alleges that Abrego Garcia is “a member and associate of the transnational criminal organization, La Mara Salvatrucha, otherwise known… as MS-13.” The indictment also details that he participated in more than 100 trips smuggling individuals from Texas to Maryland, including unaccompanied minors and alleged members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

Abrego Garcia’s deportation case has become a bedrock for both the Trump administration and immigration advocates as the push to streamline deportations undercuts key elements of due process.

After the announcement of Abrego Garcia’s return, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the indictment “proves the unhinged Democrat Party was wrong, and their stenographers in the Fake News Media were once again played like fools,” adding that the administration would “continue to hold criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

It’s been nearly three months since the father of three children was pulled over in his car by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and ended up imprisoned in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia was arrested on March 12 on his way home from work in Baltimore. He was deported a few days later, along with more than 230 other immigrants, and housed at CECOT. By April 20, according to court documents, Abrego Garcia had been moved to a lower security Salvadoran prison.

Abrego Garcia, who had arrived unlawfully in the U.S., when he was a teenager, had received protection from removal to El Salvador in 2019 by an immigration judge. That protection, known as withholding of removal, had never been challenged by government officials.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, speaks with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in a hotel restaurant in San Salvador on April 17.

Press Office Senator Van Hollen/via AP

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Press Office Senator Van Hollen/via AP

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland has overseen the months-long legal case over the deportation of Abrego Garcia. Xinis, an Obama-appointed judge, last month ordered the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. The Justice Department repeatedly invoked the state secrets privilege in federal court to withhold information related to three deportation flights to El Salvador, one of which Abrego Garcia was on.

In a 9-0 ruling issued on April 10, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the government “must facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia. But the administration refused to bring him back and Salvadoran President Bukele also said he would not release him. . Notably, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to El Salvador in late April to seek Abrego Garcia’s release. Several other Democrats made their own trips, arguing that the Trump administration was violating due process.

Federal prosecutors have requested that Abrego Garcia be held in “pre-trial custody because he poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight.”

The Maryland Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 5, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 0-4-1

Evening: 9-7-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 1-7-8-5

Evening: 0-7-7-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from June 5 drawing

Midday: 1-4-6-7-4

Evening: 4-9-1-2-2

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from June 5 drawing

06-08-22-34-59, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 5 drawing

9 a.m.: 12

1 p.m.: 14

6 p.m.: 04

11 p.m.: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Bonus Match 5 numbers from June 5 drawing

07-10-31-33-38, Bonus: 26

Check Bonus Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MultiMatch numbers from June 5 drawing

04-28-30-32-33-37

Check MultiMatch payouts and previous drawings here.

Keno

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Maryland Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes above $600, winners can claim by mail or in person from the Maryland Lottery office, an Expanded Cashing Authority Program location or cashiers’ windows at Maryland casinos. Prizes over $5,000 must be claimed in person.

Claiming by Mail

Sign your winning ticket and complete a claim form. Include a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID and a copy of a document that shows proof of your Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number. Mail these to:

Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center

1800 Washington Boulevard

Suite 330

Baltimore, MD 21230

For prizes over $600, bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID, and proof of your Social Security or Federal Tax ID number to Maryland Lottery headquarters, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. Claims are by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This location handles all prize amounts, including prizes over $5,000.

Winning Tickets Worth $25,000 or Less

Maryland Lottery headquarters and select Maryland casinos can redeem winning tickets valued up to $25,000. Note that casinos cannot cash prizes over $600 for non-resident and resident aliens (tax ID beginning with “9”). You must be at least 21 years of age to enter a Maryland casino. Locations include:

• Horseshoe Casino: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD
• MGM National Harbor: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD
• Live! Casino: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD
• Ocean Downs Casino: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin, MD
• Hollywood Casino: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville, MD
• Rocky Gap Casino: 16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Maryland Lottery.

When are the Maryland Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 11 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
• Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 Midday: 12:27 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 12:28 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.
• Pick 3, 4 and 5 Evening: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
• Cash4Life: 9 p.m. ET daily.
• Cash Pop: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
• Bonus Match 5: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
• MultiMatch: 7:56 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
• Powerball Double Play: 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Maryland editor. You can send feedback using this form.

For the second time this week, a $1 million Powerball ticket was sold in Maryland—this time at the Soda Pop Shop in Catonsville, alongside a $50,000 winner sold in Woodlawn during the June 4 drawing. Full store below, courtesy MD Lottery:

“For the second time this week, Powerballproduced a $1 million winner in Maryland. A $50,000 third-tier winning ticket also hit in last night’s drawing.

The $1 million winning ticket was purchased at Soda Pop Shop at 1026 Ingleside Avenue in Catonsville. The retailer will receive a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the second-tier winning ticket.

The $50,000 ticket was sold at Woodlawn Mart at 1818 Woodlawn Drive in Woodlawn.

The numbers for the June 4 drawing were 5, 17, 23, 35 and 45 with a Powerball of 24.

Lottery officials encourage the winner to sign the back of the ticket and keep it in a safe location. The player has 182 days after the date of the drawing to claim the prize.

Instructions for claiming prizes are available on the How to Claim page of the Lottery website. Prizes of more than $25,000 must be claimed through Lottery headquarters, either in person or by mail. Lottery headquarters is in the Montgomery Park Business Center, 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 330, in Baltimore. An appointment is required to claim in person (no walk-ins). The appointment scheduling page shows all available appointment times.

This is the second $1 million Powerball win in Maryland in 2025. On June 2, a winning ticket was purchased at the Safeway store at 8858 Waltham Woods Road in Parkville. That prize remains unclaimed.”