Two Honduran nationals have been indicted in the Northern District of Georgia on charges related to alien smuggling and fraud. The indictment, unsealed today, alleges that Luis Adolfo Mendoza Fonseca and his sister, Rosmery Yambiel Castillo Fonseca, were involved in smuggling an unaccompanied minor into the United States and submitting a fraudulent application to sponsor the child.
“Through coordinated lies and deception, two illegal aliens smuggled a child into our country to facilitate the exploitation of a 15-year-old child by a 30-year-old man,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of unwavering law enforcement dedication, the child has been removed from a predatory situation, and the deceitful duo who trafficked her will be held accountable for their crimes.”
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva stated, “This indictment alleges a disturbing scheme where two individuals who were in this country illegally lured a young girl to the United States, gave her a false identity and tried to fraudulently gain custody of her through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Government programs designed to afford protection cannot become tools for exploitation – especially of children. The Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Alpha will find those who deceive the government to gain access to vulnerable children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
Scott J. Lampert, Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at HHS-OIG, added: “Defrauding a program designed to protect vulnerable children and attempting to manipulate the sponsorship process is a serious crime that will not be tolerated. These programs are intended to ensure the safety and well-being of children in need and must never be misused for personal gain. Working with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will aggressively pursue those who undermine these protections and bring them to justice.”
According to court documents presented by U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, Mendoza Fonseca and Castillo Fonseca allegedly encouraged an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) from Nicaragua—then 15 years old—to enter and reside in the United States illegally. They also submitted an application under penalty of perjury to sponsor this child after she entered the country using a false identity.
The indictment states that Mendoza Fonseca met the minor online in spring 2024 and began a romantic relationship with her. He then paid for her travel expenses and provided her with documentation identifying her as a Honduran national so that Castillo Fonseca could sponsor her entry into the United States as her cousin. Both defendants later admitted to staff at an HHS-funded care provider that their sponsorship application was based on false information.
On February 17, 2026, both defendants appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Atlanta on charges including conspiracy to encourage illegal entry into the United States, aiding and abetting illegal entry for financial gain, and making false statements. If convicted, they face up to ten years in prison for conspiracy-related charges and up to five years for making false statements.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek from the Northern District of Georgia’s office—an agency responsible for prosecuting federal crimes such as human trafficking across north Georgia—and JTFA Trial Attorney Aaron Jennen (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga). The U.S. Attorney’s Office serves over seven million residents throughout north Georgia (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga), prioritizing cases involving public safety threats like human trafficking (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga).
Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which focuses on combating high-impact human smuggling by cartels and transnational criminal organizations across North America and beyond (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga), is supporting this prosecution alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and HHS-OIG.
The case forms part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration networks linked with violent crime.
For more information about this case or related matters handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia—the principal federal law enforcement agency in its region—visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga or contact their Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
