A Guatemalan national, Roberto Nicolas-Simon, 24, has pleaded guilty to charges of being illegally present in the United States after a prior removal and failing to update his registration as a convicted sex offender. The plea was entered on September 24, 2025, with acceptance pending before U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2026, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.
During proceedings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Nicolas-Simon admitted to reentering the country illegally and not updating his sex offender registration as required by law. According to information presented in court, he had previously been removed from the United States following a conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor in Champaign County, Illinois, in 2020. As a result of that conviction, he was obligated to register his residential address under the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act.
An investigation conducted this year found that Nicolas-Simon had returned to the United States without authorization and was residing in Champaign without registering his residence.
Nicolas-Simon is currently held by the United States Marshals Service while awaiting sentencing.
If convicted on both counts, Nicolas-Simon faces up to ten years of imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 for each offense. Additionally, he could receive up to three years of supervised release for illegal presence and between five years and life on supervised release for failing to update his sex offender registration.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement led the investigation with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch is prosecuting the case.
