A Raleigh man already serving time for sexually exploiting a child is now facing a fresh round of legal trouble in federal court, this time over alleged immigration fraud. Prosecutors say 50-year-old Venezuelan national Francisco Javier Chacoa-Pineda lied on federal paperwork tied to his immigration status. A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina returned the indictment on June 2.
Federal indictment lays out fraud allegations
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Chacoa-Pineda is accused of making materially false statements under penalty of perjury on a Temporary Protected Status application he submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on April 24, 2024.
On that application, prosecutors say, he checked “No” when asked whether he had ever been convicted of or committed acts that constitute a crime and when asked whether he had engaged in sexual conduct with a person who was being forced or threatened. Those answers now sit at the heart of the federal case.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit is investigating the allegations as part of Operation False Haven, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is handling the prosecution.
State child sex case already put him behind bars
Local court records show that on March 18, a North Carolina jury convicted Chacoa-Pineda of one count of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. A judge sentenced him to a state prison term of up to 11.5 years and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Prosecutors say he admitted that the offenses against a 13-year-old victim took place in January and April 2024. As reported by CBS17, those state-court findings are part of the record that federal prosecutors cited in the new indictment.
Federal case moves forward
Prosecutors say the immigration-fraud charge carries a potential federal sentence of more than 10 years if Chacoa-Pineda is convicted. The case is filed under Case No. 5:26-cr-00099-FL-RN in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office underscored in its announcement that “an indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.” The case will now move through the federal court system, and filings and docket updates are available through the court’s website and via PACER for anyone tracking the proceedings.
