Michael P. Drescher Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
A Venezuelan man, Jorge Humberto Moreno Martinez, 34, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for being in the United States illegally after previously being removed by immigration officials. The sentencing took place on August 29, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss in Burlington, Vermont. Moreno had pleaded guilty to the charge.
Court records show that Moreno was first removed from the U.S. on November 15, 2016. This removal followed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence he served for a felony burglary conviction in New York. At that time, he was informed and acknowledged that his criminal history barred him from re-entering or attempting to enter the country.
Despite this warning, Moreno returned to the United States. On January 27, 2025, Department of Homeland Security agents tried to arrest him in Williston, Vermont. According to court documents, Moreno fled in a vehicle and struck three law enforcement vehicles while driving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour on a busy street before being apprehended. During the chase, items were thrown from his car; some were recovered and tested positive for cocaine base and cocaine. In his plea agreement, Moreno admitted he possessed these substances with intent to distribute.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commented on the case: "I commend the investigatory efforts of the United States Department of Homeland Security, including its Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP”) divisions, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”)."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman prosecuted the case; Brooks G. McArthur represented Moreno.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through collaboration among various federal task forces such as OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhood.
