A Mexican national who had previously been convicted for a sex crime in Washington D.C. has pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry into the United States, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office. Saul Castillo-Crespo, 28, was deported to Mexico in January 2023 following his imprisonment for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of an intoxicated woman in 2017, however, he was found back on U.S. soil in March 2025 and arrested in June after failing to register as a sex offender and being nabbed for unlawful entry and property destruction.
During Castillo-Crespo's 2017 conviction, the court heard how he had preyed on a heavily intoxicated woman near Lafayette Square, took her to his apartment complex against her will, and proceeded to sexually assault her in a stairwell, an act that was captured on the building's surveillance cameras, this information was cited from the original court documents and reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. After his 2023 deportation, his return to the U.S. was spotted by local law enforcement who arrested him, he initially gave them the alias "David Crespo" but was later identified by the FBI through fingerprints analysis as Saul Castillo-Crespo, a known and previously deported illegal alien.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro commented on the case, stating, "This individual sexually assaulted a victim and got deported a few years ago, just to sneak back into the U.S. illegally," and affirming her commitment to not tolerate "this brazen defiance of our immigration laws to continue, especially from criminals who commit the most heinous illegal acts," as reflected in a statement by the Justice Department. Castillo-Crespo's sentencing has been set for March 13, 2026, by Judge Timothy J. Kelly.
The case, highlighting tensions in the intersection of immigration and criminal law, was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with the Metropolitan Police Department with charges being brought by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter.
