Arturo Sanchez-Morales, a 54-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced on Mar. 19 to three years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after a previous deportation. U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell handed down the sentence following Sanchez-Morales's guilty plea on January 9, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address repeat illegal entries into the country. According to court documents and information presented at sentencing, Sanchez-Morales had been removed from the United States once before and granted voluntary return on another occasion.
Sanchez-Morales was arrested on May 13, 2025, by Cape Coral Police Department officers during a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a Mexican birth certificate with his name. After being transferred to Lee County Jail that same day, immigration officials identified him as a previously deported alien based on his identifying information.
In July 2014, Sanchez-Morales was convicted in California Superior Court for committing incest and a lewd or lascivious act involving a child.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, described as "a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
