NITRO, WV (WVNS) — A Mexican national who lived in West Virginia illegally was sentenced for a federal fraud crime.According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice, 27-year-old Rosmery Morales-Mejia, also known as "Rosita Mejia-Perez," a Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty on Monday, March 30, 2026 to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and was sentenced to time served. Illegal alien from Mexico sentenced for federal fraud crime in West Virginia The press release stated that Morales-Mejia will have "an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for her transfer to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings."According to the press release, court documents stated that Morales-Mejia used a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, also called a Permanent Resident Card or Green Card, from around June 28, 2025 to about June 16, 2026 to gain employment at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro.The press release stated that Morales-Mejia revealed that she and her husband, Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, bought both a counterfeit Green Card and counterfeit Social Security card, knew the documents were counterfeit, that the counterfeit documents did not have her real name, and that the false documents were used for her and her husband to gain employment at the restaurant.According to the press release, Morales-Mejia admitted that she and her husband rented a room from Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., the owner of the restaurant. The room that they rented was behind the restaurant in a house that Aguirre-Arello Sr. owned.The press release stated that Morales-Mejia acknowledged that she and her husband lived in the house with other foreign nationals who did not have legal status and lived and worked in southern West Virginia. Kanawha County man pleads guilty to straw purchase crime According to the press release, Morales-Mejia and her husband, are two of six illegal aliens who were indicted on charges that alleged they did not have legal status when working at the restaurant. 42-year-old Pablos-Miguel, also known as "Ariosto Pablos-Miguel," and 22-year-old Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, each pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and were sentenced to time served with ICE immigration detainers pending.The press release stated that 65-year-old Aguirre-Arello Sr., and his son, 43-year-old restaurant manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, both of Nitro, were indicted on charges that alleged they each harbored aliens, while aiding and abetting each other, and aided and abetted fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents.According to the press release, that indictment, as well as the indictments against the other illegal alien defendants remain pending, and indictments are only allegations and defendants are believed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.The press release stated that the case was the result of Operation Country Roads, which took place in January 2026, was held by ICE with state and local law enforcement, and resulted in more than 650 arrests across the Mountain State.The announcement was made by United States Attorney Moore Capito, who thanked the Nitro Police Department, St. Albans Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) for their work on the investigation.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.