Illegal Alien Convicted for Prior Sex Offense Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Fort Myers, Florida - Arturo Sanchez-Morales (54, Mexico) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to three years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after a prior deportation. Sanchez-Morales pleaded guilty on January 9, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and information presented at sentencing, Sanchez-Morales was illegally present in the United States for the third time, having previously been deported on one occasion and granted a voluntary return on another. On May 13, 2025, Sanchez-Morales was arrested by officers from the Cape Coral Police Department following a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, Sanchez-Morales was in possession of a Mexican birth certificate bearing his name. That same day, after being transferred to the Lee County Jail, Sanchez-Morales was encountered by immigration officials who realized that his identifying information was associated with the alien file of a previously deported alien.

In July 2014, Sanchez-Morales was convicted in California Superior Court for committing incest and a lewd or lascivious act involving a child.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.

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.