Three individuals have admitted to illegally re-entering the United States after being deported multiple times. Luis Alberto Nunez Campos, 41, and Marco Antonio Martinez-Vences, 44, both from Mexico, each face a maximum of two years in federal prison. They also face fines up to $250,000 and will be deported following their sentences.
Jose Diaz Morales, 30, also from Mexico, pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation for a felony offense. Due to his prior conviction in state court for a felony offense, he faces an increased maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will also be deported after serving his sentence.
Evidence from the investigation and public records showed that Diaz Morales was arrested by the North Charleston Police Department on December 19, 2014, for criminal sexual conduct in the third degree and later pleaded guilty to assault and battery in the first degree. He was deported following his sentence on October 19, 2017. After re-entering the U.S., he was again arrested by NCPD for assault and battery in the third degree. On November 13, 2024, he was found guilty at a bench trial in North Charleston Municipal Court.
Martinez-Vences has been removed or deported from the U.S. at least seven times since June 26, 2008. He has had several arrests by state and local police during these re-entries. Most recently, he was arrested by the City of Charleston Police Department for felony traffic violations in November 2024.
Nunez Campos was initially deported on March 13, 2001. His most recent arrest was by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on January 15 for illegal drug charges.
United States District Judge David C. Norton accepted their guilty pleas and will sentence each defendant after reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The investigations were conducted by deportation officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Criminal Alien Program and Fugitive Operations within Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell is prosecuting these cases.
