Connecticut man with fake document, indicted for re-entry

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment Tuesday charging a Connecticut man with one count of re-entry in a case investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Roberto A. Mori-Perez, 55, a citizen of Peru who recently resided in New Haven, is also charged with one count of possession of a fraudulent permanent resident card in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport.

The indictment alleges that Mori-Perez, who was previously deported from the U.S. to his native Peru, illegally re-entered the U.S. According to legal records, he did not obtain the consent of the U.S. attorney general or his successor, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to reapply for admission into the U.S.

The indictment also alleges that on Aug.17, 2011, Mori-Perez possessed a fraudulent permanent resident card. According to previously filed court documents, he was deported from the U.S. to Peru on Aug. 29, 1989, after he was convicted of the criminal sale of a controlled substance, which is an aggravated felony.

If convicted, Mori-Perez faces a maximum 20-year prison term for illegally re-entering the U.S. and a maximum 10-year prison term for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card.

Mori-Perez has been detained since his arrest on Aug. 17, 2011.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt, that charges are only allegations, and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation of this case included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) National Fugitive Operations Program. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj Patel.