A Guatemalan national has been indicted in New Orleans for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Juan Carlos Lopez-Sosa, 31, was charged on September 18, 2025, with reentry of a removed alien under Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
Court documents state that Lopez-Sosa was located in St. Tammany Parish on September 11, 2025. He had previously been convicted for illegal reentry into the country on April 5, 2018, and sentenced to two days in custody before being removed to Guatemala on April 20, 2018.
If found guilty of the current charge, Lopez-Sosa could face up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson emphasized: "An indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
This case falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations by combining resources from various federal programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Simpson commended U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their investigative work. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick W. Veters Jr., from the General Crimes Unit, is handling the prosecution.
