Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont – A federal grand jury has indicted Yubert Yasiel Lopez-Lopez, a 31-year-old Honduran national, for illegal reentry into the United States. The indictment was returned on June 26, 2025. Lopez-Lopez was found in the U.S. on February 2, 2025, after having been previously removed.
Lopez-Lopez pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on June 27, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. He is currently detained pending further proceedings.
Court records indicate that Lopez-Lopez had been ordered removed from the U.S. twice before: once in December 2014 and again in June 2018 after pleading guilty to illegal entry. Despite being prohibited from entering the U.S. for twenty years following his last removal order in 2018, he was expelled twice more in 2022.
On February 2, 2025, a law enforcement officer recorded Lopez-Lopez's presence with a body-worn camera and confirmed his identity through immigration records. At that time, he was also wanted by Honduran authorities for weapons trafficking charges.
Lopez-Lopez was apprehended by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from other agencies on June 10, 2025, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
The United States Attorney’s Office reminds that an indictment consists only of allegations and that Lopez-Lopez is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted of illegal reentry into the U.S., he faces up to two years’ imprisonment; however, sentencing will be determined by the District Court according to advisory guidelines and statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the investigatory work conducted by ATF and Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant United States Attorney Jason Turner is prosecuting this case while Assistant Federal Public Defender Charles Curlett represents Lopez-Lopez.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling transnational criminal organizations as part of broader efforts led by various Department of Justice task forces including OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
