Maximino Montalvo Salas, a 20-year-old Mexican citizen living illegally in Charleston, has pleaded guilty to possessing a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card. He was sentenced to time served and will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for removal proceedings.
Court documents reveal that on March 28, 2025, law enforcement officers encountered Salas in Charleston. ICE agents confirmed his illegal status in the United States and his use of a counterfeit Green Card to secure employment.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the outcome and praised the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing, imposing the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on immigration enforcement under Operation Take Back America.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
For more information, related court documents can be accessed via PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-83.
