A citizen of Honduras, Jose Mejia-Sarmiento, has been sentenced to 39 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States, fraudulent use of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft. The sentencing was announced by First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines delivered the sentence in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Following his prison term, Mejia-Sarmiento will be deported to Honduras.
Court documents showed that Mejia-Sarmiento had previously been deported from the United States three times between 1996 and 2016. His most recent removal came after a felony conviction. He was found in the Western District of Pennsylvania despite these prior removals.
The prosecution also presented evidence that Mejia-Sarmiento used another person’s identification to make false statements to the Social Security Administration on four occasions between May 2024 and February 2025.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted the case for the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti recognized several agencies for their investigative work: “I commend the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General for their investigation that led to this successful prosecution.”
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a national effort led by the Department of Justice to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while addressing illegal immigration and violent crime.
