Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Forged Immigration Document and Illegal Reentry

BOSTON - A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in West Springfield, Mass. pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025 in federal court in Springfield, to possessing a forged immigration document and unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Prior to these charges, the defendant reentered the United States unlawfully four times; was previously convicted in Arizona of human smuggling; was charged in Illinois with domestic battery/bodily harm; and was twice charged with assault on a police officer in Massachusetts.

Jose Martinez-Lopez, a/k/a "Amalio Mendez-Molina," 33, pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a forged immigration document and unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Aug. 20, 2025. Martinez-Lopez was arrested in March 2025.

On Aug. 28, 2009, Martinez-Lopez was removed from the United States to Guatemala after he entered the United States illegally at an unknow prior date. Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez unlawfully reentered the United States and was subsequently deported on May 10, 2011.

After his deportation, Martinez-Lopez re-entered the United States illegally for a third time. On Aug. 8, 2011, he was found guilty in Phoenix, Ariz. of human smuggling conspiracy and sentenced to a one-year probationary period. On Aug. 23, 2011, Martinez-Lopez was again removed from the United States.

Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez re-entered the United States illegally for a fourth time. On Nov. 25, 2022 and June 17, 2023, Martinez-Lopez was twice arrested in Cook County, Ill. for domestic battery/bodily harm. Both times, immigration authorities lodged detainers, but Martinez-Lopez was released from state court custody before any removal action could be taken.

On March 10, 2025, Martinez-Lopez was arrested in West Springfield for assault and battery on a police officer, which led to his apprehension by immigration authorities. At the time of the arrest, Martinez-Lopez possessed a forged permanent resident card in the name of "Amalio Mendez-Molina." On March 11, 2025, Martinez-Lopez admitted to immigration authorities that he was unlawfully present in the United States and had re-entered the United States illegally in 2021.

The charge of possession of a forged immigration document provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.