Americo Lopes-Da Silva, Illegal Re-Entry, Maine 2024

BANGOR, Maine – Americo Lopes-Da Silva, 37, learned today that cutting and running doesn’t pay – even if the sentence is just time already served. The Brazilian national was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor for the simple, yet federal offense of illegally re-entering the United States after being previously deported. Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. handed down the sentence following Lopes-Da Silva’s guilty plea on May 20, 2025.

The bust unfolded on April 7, 2025, when a sharp-eyed U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Rangeley station spotted a white van registered in Massachusetts. A routine license plate check revealed the vehicle’s registered owner had overstayed a visa dating back to 2018. The agent initiated a traffic stop, finding only two occupants: the driver and Lopes-Da Silva. Both admitted they lacked legal permission to be in the country.

But Lopes-Da Silva’s trouble didn’t end with an admission. Further investigation at the Border Patrol station uncovered a harsher truth: Lopes-Da Silva had been formally ordered removed and deported from the U.S. back in 2021. Re-entry after deportation isn’t a misunderstanding; it’s a federal crime, and the feds were ready to hold him accountable.

While Lopes-Da Silva received time served, the case isn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of “Operation Take Back America,” a sweeping, nationwide initiative the Department of Justice is touting as a full-throttle effort to clamp down on illegal immigration. The DOJ claims the operation aims to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities.” Sounds like a war, doesn’t it?

Operation Take Back America isn’t just rhetoric. It’s a streamlining of existing DOJ programs – Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – combining resources and manpower under a single banner. Whether it’s effective remains to be seen, but the feds are clearly signaling a zero-tolerance approach to border security.

The U.S. Border Patrol handled the entire investigation. Lopes-Da Silva is now back in the system, a reminder that even a relatively short sentence can be a harsh consequence for those attempting to bypass U.S. immigration laws. Grimy Times will continue to follow federal cases like this, bringing the raw truth about crime to light.

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