Jose Martinez-Lopez, Possession of a Forged Immigration Document and Unlawful Reentry, Massachusetts 2025

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in West Springfield, Mass. was sentenced in federal court in Springfield for possessing a forged immigration document and unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Jose Martinez-Lopez, a/k/a “Amalio Mendez-Molina,” 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to time served (163 days in prison).

Martinez-Lopez was arrested in March 2025 and pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a forged immigration document and unlawful reentry of a deported alien in June 2025.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Martinez-Lopez reentered the United States illegally four times; was previously convicted in Arizona of human smuggling; was charged in Illinois with domestic battery/bodily harm; and was twice charged with assault on a police officer in Massachusetts.

On Aug. 28, 2009, Martinez-Lopez was removed from the United States to Guatemala after he entered the United States illegally on an unknown date. Sometime after his removal, Martinez-Lopez unlawfully reentered the United States and was subsequently deported on May 10, 2011.

After his deportation, Martinez-Lopez re-entered the United States illegally for a third time. On Aug. 8, 2011, he was found guilty in Phoenix, Ariz. of human smuggling conspiracy and sentenced to a one-year probationary period. On Aug. 23, 2011, Martinez-Lopez was again removed from the United States.

Martinez-Lopez was most recently arrested in West Springfield, Mass. on March 10, 2025, for assault and battery on a police officer, which led to his apprehension by immigration authorities. At the time of the arrest, Martinez-Lopez possessed a forged permanent resident card in the name of “Amalio Mendez-Molina.”

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

Martinez-Lopez is now subject to deportation.

Defendant Information:

Defendant: Jose Martinez-Lopez

Criminal Charges: Possession of a forged immigration document and unlawful reentry of a deported alien

City and State: West Springfield, Massachusetts

Arrest Date: March 2025

Sentence: Time served (163 days in prison)

Current Status: Subject to deportation

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/guatemalan-national-sentenced-possession-forged-immigration-document-and-illegal-reentry