Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Melvin Jose Tejada Morillo, 35, pled guilty on July 8, 2025, to illegal re-entry of a removed alien. This is in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Sections 1326(a) and 1326(b)(2).
According to the indictment, Morillo re-entered the United States after being deported on March 21, 2016. At sentencing, he faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Due to a prior felony conviction, Morillo also faces a sentencing enhancement of up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Simpson praised the work of the United States Homeland Security Investigations in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright is leading the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America. The initiative aims to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. It utilizes resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
