CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mexican national living in West Virginia has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a federal fraud charge involving counterfeit immigration documents.
According to federal authorities, Rosmery Morales-Mejia, 27, also known as “Rosita Mejia-Perez,” admitted to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents.
She was sentenced to time served and will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for removal proceedings.
Court documents state that between June 28, 2025, and January 16, 2026, Morales-Mejia used a counterfeit Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as a Green Card, to obtain employment at a Mexican restaurant in Nitro.
She also admitted to purchasing the fake documents, along with her husband, and knowingly using them to secure employment. The documents did not contain her real name.
Authorities said Morales-Mejia and her husband, Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, 42, also lived in a residence behind the restaurant owned by the business operator.
The couple resided there with other foreign nationals who were also allegedly living and working in the Southern District of West Virginia without legal status.
Morales-Mejia and her husband were among six individuals indicted following a January 16, 2026, search warrant executed at the restaurant.
Both Pablos-Miguel and another defendant, Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, 22, also pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced to time served. All are subject to immigration detainers.
Meanwhile, the restaurant owner, Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and his son, Miguel Angel Aguirre, 43, have been indicted on charges related to harboring individuals without legal status and aiding in document fraud.
Those charges remain pending, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation was part of a larger immigration enforcement effort known as Operation Country Roads, which resulted in more than 650 arrests across West Virginia. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation.
The case was prosecuted in U.S. District Court, where Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the proceedings.
