Roberto Lopez-Mendez, a Mexican national, was sentenced on Mar. 24 to six months in prison for document fraud and six months for illegal entry, with the sentences to be served concurrently. The announcement came from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The sentencing underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address illegal immigration and related offenses. Lopez-Mendez, also known as Roberto Lopez Mendez or Roberto Lopez, was found unlawfully present in Haskell County, Oklahoma.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Stigler Police Department said that on June 9, 2025, Lopez-Mendez knowingly possessed a forged or unlawfully obtained United States Permanent Residency Card while illegally present in the country. He pleaded guilty to both charges on July 28, 2025.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aiming to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations.
Chief Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico presided over the hearing by assignment. Lopez-Mendez will remain in custody pending transfer to a designated Bureau of Prisons facility where he will serve his sentence without parole.
