CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mexican national living illegally in West Virginia has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a federal fraud offense involving counterfeit immigration documents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, 22, who had been living in Nitro, pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents and was sentenced to time served.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an immigration detainer for Cruz-Perez, and he will be transferred to ICE custody for removal proceedings.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on January 16, 2026, at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro, where Cruz-Perez was working.
Investigators determined he used a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, commonly known as a permanent resident or “green card,” to obtain employment at the restaurant between November 26, 2024, and January 16, 2026.
Cruz-Perez is one of six foreign nationals indicted after the search warrant was carried out as part of an investigation into individuals allegedly working at the restaurant without legal status.
Restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, 42, both of Nitro, were also indicted on charges alleging they aided and abetted alien harboring.
Prosecutors say the manager is additionally accused of aiding and abetting unlawful employment of undocumented workers and document fraud. Those charges remain pending, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Authorities say the case is part of Operation Country Roads, an immigration enforcement operation conducted in January 2026 by ICE and state and local law enforcement partners that resulted in more than 650 arrests across West Virginia.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentencing and commended the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Nitro Police Department and the St. Albans Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage and heard by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin.
