CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Rosmery Morales-Mejia, also known as “Rosita Mejia-Perez,” 27, a Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty today to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and was sentenced to time served. Morales-Mejia will be subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for her transfer to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedingsAccording to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about June 28, 2025, to on or about January 16, 2026, Morales-Mejia used a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, also known as a Permanent Resident Card or Green Card, to obtain employment at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro.Morales-Mejia admitted that she and her husband each purchased a counterfeit Green Card and a counterfeit Social Security card, that she and her husband knew these documents were counterfeit, that her counterfeit documents did not list her real name, and that she and her husband both used their counterfeit documents to obtain employment at the restaurant.Morales-Mejia further admitted that she and her husband rented a room from restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr. in a house he owned behind the restaurant. Morales-Mejia also admitted that she and her husband lived in the house with other foreign nationals who were living and working in the Southern District of West Virginia without legal status.Morales-Mejia and her husband, Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, are among six illegal aliens indicted following the execution of a January 16, 2026, search warrant at the restaurant on charges alleging they were working there without legal status. In addition to Morales-Mejiam, Pablos-Miguel, also known as “Ariosto Pablos-Miguel,” 42, and Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, 22, each pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and were sentenced to time served with ICE immigration detainers pending.Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and his son, restaurant manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, 43, both of Nitro, were indicted on charges alleging each harbored aliens, while aiding and abetting each other, and aided and abetted fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. That indictment and the indictments against the remaining illegal alien defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.The January 16, 2026, search warrant was executed as part of Operation Country Roads. Conducted by ICE with state and local law enforcement partners, the immigration enforcement operation resulted in over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia.United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), the Nitro Police Department, and the St. Albans Police Department.United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America.Operation Take Back America is 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.A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-16.###
Source: U.S. Department of Justice