Repeat Offender Lopez-Lopez Faces Federal Reentry Charges

BURLINGTON, VT – Yubert Yasiel Lopez-Lopez, 31, of Honduras, is facing federal charges after being indicted by a Vermont grand jury on June 26, 2025, for illegal reentry into the United States. The indictment alleges Lopez-Lopez was found within U.S. borders on February 2, 2025, despite prior removals – a blatant disregard for federal immigration law.

This isn’t Lopez-Lopez’s first rodeo. Court records reveal a long history of flouting U.S. immigration laws. He was initially removed on December 8, 2014, following an illegal border crossing near Hidalgo, Texas, and again on June 26, 2018, after pleading guilty to illegal entry in the Southern District of Texas. That 2018 removal carried a 20-year ban from re-entering the U.S. – a warning he clearly ignored. He was also expelled twice in 2022 after *more* illegal crossings, this time near Yuma, Arizona. The system, it seems, wasn’t enough to keep him out.

The February 2nd encounter that triggered the current indictment wasn’t a subtle slip-in. Lopez-Lopez was documented by a law enforcement officer’s body-worn camera, openly acknowledging his illegal status. Even more troubling, authorities discovered Lopez-Lopez is currently wanted in Honduras for the serious charge of weapons trafficking. This adds a dangerous layer to his repeated violations of U.S. immigration law.

Federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from other agencies, finally took Lopez-Lopez into custody on June 10, 2025, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment on June 27, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle deemed him a flight risk and ordered him detained pending further proceedings.

If convicted, Lopez-Lopez faces up to 2 years’ imprisonment. However, the actual sentence will be determined by the District Court, taking into account sentencing guidelines and statutory factors. Assistant United States Attorney Jason Turner is prosecuting the case, while Lopez-Lopez is being represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Charles Curlett. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stresses that the indictment only contains allegations, and Lopez-Lopez is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide initiative aimed at bolstering border security, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime. The operation streamlines resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the ATF and United States Customs and Border Protection for their work on this investigation – a small victory in what is becoming a relentless battle against repeat offenders and cross-border criminal activity.