A Honduran man, Melvin Jose Tejada Morillo, was sentenced on October 7, 2025, to 18 months in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States after having been previously deported. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Morillo, 35, was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release following his imprisonment and must pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. According to court documents, Morillo had returned to the U.S. after being deported on March 21, 2016. His sentence was increased because he had a felony conviction before his deportation in 2016.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
The investigation in this case was conducted by United States Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright from the Financial Crimes Unit led the prosecution.
