Rosmery Morales-Mejia, Fraud and Misuse of Visas, West Virginia 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Rosmery Morales-Mejia, a 27-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas. Morales-Mejia, also known as ‘Rosita Mejia-Perez,’ was sentenced to time served and faces an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for removal proceedings.

According to court documents, Morales-Mejia used a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, also known as a Permanent Resident Card or Green Card, to obtain employment at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro. She admitted that she and her husband each purchased counterfeit Green Cards and Social Security cards, knowing they were fake.

Morales-Mejia and her husband, Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, 42, were among six illegal aliens indicted following a search warrant at the restaurant on January 16, 2026. In addition to Morales-Mejia and Pablos-Miguel, Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, 22, pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas and was sentenced to time served with an ICE immigration detainer pending.

The search warrant was executed as part of Operation Country Roads, a joint effort by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state and local law enforcement partners. The operation resulted in over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia.

United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the guilty plea and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), the Nitro Police Department, and the St. Albans Police Department.

Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and his son, Miguel Angel Aguirre, 43, both of Nitro, were indicted on charges alleging they harbored aliens, aided and abetted each other, and aided and abetted fraud and misuse of visas. The indictment is pending.

Morales-Mejia’s case is part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.

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