A Mexican national residing illegally in Lufkin, Texas, has admitted to immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Rigoberto Rodriguez-Moreno, 44, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a previously deported person before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on June 16, 2025.
Court information revealed that on March 4, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) learned Rodriguez-Moreno was detained at Angelina County Jail due to a state arrest warrant. An investigation confirmed his previous deportation from the United States to Mexico on October 4, 2017, without authorization for return.
Immigration records indicate this is Rodriguez-Moreno’s second deportation; the first occurred in 1999. He holds prior federal convictions for bringing in and harboring illegal aliens in 1999 and illegal reentry after deportation in 2015.
Rodriguez-Moreno could face up to 20 years in federal prison followed by deportation upon sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence is provided for informational purposes only; actual sentencing will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Additionally, Rodriguez-Moreno faces unrelated state charges in Angelina County.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative utilizing Department of Justice resources to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. This operation coordinates efforts with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by Lufkin Homeland Security Investigations and the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the Lufkin Division of the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
