Rosmery Morales-Mejia, a 27-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, West Virginia, pleaded guilty on Mar. 30 to federal charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. Morales-Mejia was sentenced to time served and will be transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for removal proceedings.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address the use of counterfeit documents for employment by individuals without legal status. According to court records, between June 28, 2025, and January 16, 2026, Morales-Mejia used a fake Permanent Resident Card—commonly known as a Green Card—to obtain work at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro.
Morales-Mejia admitted that both she and her husband purchased counterfeit Green Cards and Social Security cards knowing they were not genuine. She also acknowledged that these documents did not display her real name. Both used the false documents for employment at the restaurant. Additionally, she said they rented a room from restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., living with other foreign nationals who also lacked legal status.
Morales-Mejia’s husband Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel (also known as Ariosto Pablos-Miguel), age 42, along with Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez (22), each pleaded guilty to similar charges and received sentences of time served pending ICE detainers. The investigation began after authorities executed a search warrant at the restaurant on January 16 as part of Operation Country Roads—a coordinated immigration enforcement effort resulting in over 650 arrests across West Virginia.
Restaurant owner Aguirre-Arello Sr., age 65, and his son Miguel Angel Aguirre have been indicted on allegations of harboring aliens while aiding each other in document fraud; those indictments remain pending. “An indictment is merely an allegation,” authorities said in the announcement; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
United States Attorney Moore Capito commended investigative work by multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE-Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO), Nitro Police Department, and St. Albans Police Department. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case within a special unit focused on immigration enforcement under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration.
