Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Mexican national, Jose De Jesus Mejia-Fraijo, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. The plea was made on June 9, 2025, and concerns charges of being an aggravated felon found illegally in the United States.
The case against Mejia-Fraijo began on March 1, 2025, when officers from the Iowa State Patrol encountered him in Sioux City. He was arrested for driving without a valid driver's license and interfering with official acts after attempting to flee on foot. Subsequent investigations by the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Mejia-Fraijo is a Mexican citizen who lacked legal permission to be in the United States. Records showed he had been removed from the country twice before.
Before his most recent removal in 2022, Mejia-Fraijo had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. This conviction occurred in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
