ALEXANDRIA — (Press Release) A Mexican citizen who was convicted in state court of a sex offense against a minor pleaded guilty today to illegally reentering the United States.
According to court documents, Jose Fabian Murcia, 41, was removed from the country at taxpayer expense in 2001 and 2004. In 2018, law enforcement encountered him in Virginia after he was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual battery against a victim under the age of 13 and taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship – both felonies in Virginia. Fabian Murcia was later convicted in Prince William County for indecent liberties with a child.
“Murcia has been deported at taxpayer expense on multiple occasions,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Additionally, he was convicted of a sex offense against a minor who was in his care. This prosecution and guilty plea demonstrate that the United States will continue to aggressively enforce its immigration laws, especially where, as here, those who disregard our nation’s border and laws also commit egregious crimes against the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Fabian Murcia pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a removed alien and faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison when sentenced on August 30. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Lyle A. Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Olinghouse and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Taylor are prosecuting the case.
