CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mexican citizen living illegally in Charleston has pleaded guilty to an immigration-related offense and been sentenced to time served, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Julio Cesar Ruiz-Perez, 21, admitted to possessing a counterfeit Social Security card with the intent to defraud the United States.
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According to court records, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Charleston residence on April 11, 2025, and encountered Ruiz-Perez.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents confirmed he was in the country illegally and found the fake Social Security card in his possession. Prosecutors said Ruiz-Perez intended to use the document to fraudulently verify his eligibility to work in the United States.
Following his sentencing, ICE placed an immigration detainer on Ruiz-Perez so he can be transferred to administrative custody for removal proceedings.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage before U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger. It was part of a special unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime.
