A previously deported Mexican national and convicted sex offender who tried to slip back into Washington under a fake name is headed to federal prison.
Saul Castillo-Crespo was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months behind bars after admitting he illegally re-entered the United States using a false identity. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly also imposed three years of supervised release and ordered that Castillo-Crespo be turned over to immigration authorities for removal once he finishes his time.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Castillo-Crespo pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to one count of unlawful re-entry after having been deported in January 2023. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro did not mince words, saying, "He apparently believed that using a new name would make him invisible. He was wrong. Following his prison sentence, he will again be deported."
How He Was Identified
Prosecutors say Castillo-Crespo slipped back into the United States in March 2025. His new identity, however, did not hold up for long. According to WJLA, he was picked up by Metropolitan Police on unrelated charges on June 27, 2025, after initially telling officers his name was "David Crespo."
That alias unraveled once authorities ran his fingerprints. A database match with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement records confirmed his true identity and flagged his prior deportation, according to the reporting.
Charges And Legal Context
A prior press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that prosecutors also cited Castillo-Crespo's failure to register as a sex offender after his return. A Congressional Research Service analysis on Congress.gov explains that the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act makes knowing failures to register a federal crime that can bring significant prison time.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter, according to local reporting. WJLA reports that once Castillo-Crespo completes his federal sentence, he will be placed in removal proceedings and turned back over to immigration authorities.
The sentence closes a chapter in a case tied to a 2017 kidnapping and sexual assault near Lafayette Square and highlights how aggressively federal officials are pursuing unlawful re-entry and sex offender registration violations. Prosecutors said the prison term was meant to protect public safety and to ensure Castillo-Crespo is again removed from the country.
