ALBERTO JOSE ZAPATA MOREL PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY
ALBERTO JOSE ZAPATA MOREL, age 40, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty in federal court today before U. S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to count four of a four-count indictment charging him with illegal re-entry by a removed alien, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According the factual basis, on June 5, 2012, MOREL, an alien who had previously been removed from the United States, was found in the United States, in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, without having obtained consent from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
The indictment charging MOREL with illegal re-entry by a removed alien also included a notice of sentencing enhancement based on MOREL’s prior aggravated felony conviction. With the enhancement, the count carries a maximum statutory penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2013 at 9:30 A.M.
The case was investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Robert Weir.
)
