Illegal Aliens Plead Guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States after Multiple Deportations

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Three illegal aliens have pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after being deported multiple times.

Luis Alberto Nunez Campos, 41, and Marco Antonio Martinez-Vences, 44, both of Mexico, each face a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. Both also face a fine of up to $250,000 and will be deported after serving their sentence.

Jose Diaz Morales, 30, also of Mexico pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after he was deported following a conviction for a felony offense. Due to his previous conviction in state court for a felony offense, he faces an increased maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also will be deported after serving his sentence. 

Evidence obtained in the investigation and in public records revealed that Diaz Morales was arrested by the North Charleston Police Department on Dec.19, 2014 for criminal sexual conduct 3^rd   and later pleaded guilty to assault and battery 1^st degree. He was deported following his sentence on Oct. 19, 2017. At some point, he again illegally re-entered the United States and was again arrested by NCPD for assault and battery 3^rd degree. On Nov. 13, 2024, he was found guilty at a bench trial in the North Charleston Municipal Court of assault and battery 3^rd degree.

Martinez-Vences has been removed, or expulsed, or deported from the U.S. at least seven times. The first time was on June 26, 2008. He has had several arrests by state and local police in the U.S. during these re-entries. Most recently, he was arrested by the City of Charleston Police Department for felony traffic violations in November 2024. 

Nunez Campos was initially deported on March 13, 2001. Most recently, he was arrested by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 15 on illegal drug charges.

United States District Judge David C. Norton accepted the three guilty pleas and will sentence each defendant after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

These cases were a 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.

These cases were investigated by deportation officers from the Criminal Alien Program and Fugitive Operations from Enforcement and Removal Operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell is prosecuting the cases.

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