Man from Nicaragua pleads guilty to illegally returning to the United States

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Nicaraguan man pleaded guilty Wednesday to reentering the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

Manuel Vargas-Perez, 46, of Nicaragua, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of reentry by an alien without permission after removal. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to the guilty plea, law enforcement officers conducted a roadside stop on the vehicle Vargas-Perez was driving on July 3, 2017 in Calcasieu Parish. He had no identification and told officers he was from Nicaragua. It was later discovered that he had been deported before and had not obtained permission to return to the United States.

Vargas-Perez faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Customs and Border Protection and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti is prosecuting the case.