A Guatemalan national, Juan Carlos Lopez-Sosa, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Orleans for illegal reentry after removal. The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
Court documents state that Lopez-Sosa, 31, was located in St. Tammany Parish on September 11, 2025. He had previously been convicted of illegal reentry under Title 8 U.S.C. ยง 1326 on April 5, 2018, and subsequently deported to Guatemala on April 20, 2018.
If found guilty of the current charge, Lopez-Sosa could face up to ten years in prison, a fine as high as $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson emphasized the presumption of innocence for the defendant: “An indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative led by the Department of Justice aiming to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations by consolidating resources from various law enforcement programs.
Simpson acknowledged the investigative work conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick W. Veters Jr., from the General Crimes Unit, is overseeing the prosecution.
