Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, a 22-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty on March 10 to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. He was sentenced to time served and is now subject to an immigration detainer for transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for removal proceedings.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address immigration-related offenses in West Virginia. Cruz-Perez’s plea follows a search warrant executed at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro on January 16, where he was found working with a counterfeit Permanent Resident Card, also known as a Green Card. Investigators determined that he used the fake document to obtain employment at the restaurant from November 2024 until January 2026.
Cruz-Perez is one of six foreign nationals indicted after the January search warrant for allegedly working at the restaurant without legal status. The restaurant owner, Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., and manager, Miguel Angel Aguirre, both of Nitro, were also indicted on charges related to aiding and abetting alien harboring. Additional allegations against Miguel Angel Aguirre include aiding unlawful employment of aliens and fraud involving immigration documents. All indictments remain pending; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation was part of Operation Country Roads, conducted by ICE with state and local law enforcement partners in January 2026. The operation resulted in over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the plea and commended the work of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Nitro Police Department, and St. Albans Police Department. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case as part of a special unit focused on Operation Take Back America’s immigration enforcement objectives.
Operation Take Back America is described as a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources “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.”
