CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Three men facing charges in the Lowcountry who were in the United States without permission have pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported multiple times.
Luis Alberto Nunez Campos, 41; Marco Antonio Martinez-Vences, 44; and Jose Diaz Morales, 30, all of Mexico, entered guilty pleas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
Diaz Morales was arrested by the North Charleston Police Department on Dec.19, 2014, for third-degree criminal sexual conduct and later pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Veronica Hill said. He was deported following his sentence on Oct. 19, 2017. At some point, he again illegally re-entered the United States and was again arrested by North Charleston Police for third-degree assault and battery. On Nov. 13, 2024, he was found guilty at a bench trial in the North Charleston Municipal Court of third-degree assault and battery, Hill said.
Prosecutors said Martinez-Vences has been removed, expulsed or deported from the U.S. at least seven times, dating back to June 26, 2008. He has had several arrests by state and local police in the U.S. during these re-entries and most recently, was arrested by the City of Charleston Police Department for felony traffic violations in November 2024…