British Citizen Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that JOHN O'ROURKE, also known as JOHN CASEY, 27, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

O'Rourke appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, O'Rourke has used several other aliases including "John O'Rouke," "Michael Casey," "John Joyce," "Robert Davanzo," "David Collins," and "James McCormack." On October 7, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended O'Rourke, under an alias, and four other individuals near Fort Covington, New York, close to Canadian border. An investigation revealed that O'Rourke did not have legal status in the U.S. and, on October 15, 2024, he was removed by foot from New York to Canada.

It is further alleged that on February 18, 2025, O'Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and charged with state offenses including evading responsibility and breach of peace. Continued investigation revealed that O'Rourke has pending cases stemming from arrests under various aliases in Suffolk County, New York, in November 2023; Everett, Washington, in September 2025; Linden, New Jersey, in December 2025; and Snohomish County, Washington, in January 2026. He also has a pending arrest warrant for a larceny offense issued by Connecticut Superior Court judge in Danbury, Connecticut, and is being sought by law enforcement in Surrey, England.

O'Rourke was arrested on March 2, 2026, in Pleasonton, California, on an arrest warrant issued by a judge in Torrington, Connecticut, charging O'Rourke with larceny in the first degree, making home improvements without a valid home improvement certificate, and mispresenting or impersonating a registered contractor.

O'Rourke has been detained since his arrest.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, O'Rourke faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.