Three foreign nationals who were previously deported when they were convicted of criminal offenses face charges after Connecticut authorities say they reentered the country illegally.
Two of the three suspects have waived their right to be indicted and have pleaded guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement issued Thursday.
Freddy Alexander Morales Tejada, 24, a citizen of El Salvador residing in Vernon appeared in federal court in New Haven on Nov. 10 and pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, officials said.
According to authorities, in October 2023, Morales Tejada was convicted on state charges of carrying a pistol without a permit and first-degree failure to appear. After being sentenced, he was deported to El Salvador in February 2024, officials said.
Morales Tejada came back into the country and was arrested in South Windsor on May 19 on charges of engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle without license and illegal operation of motor vehicle under suspension, officials said. He has been detained since he was charged federally on Oct. 23 and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven on Feb. 25, 2026. He faces a maximum 10 years in prison.
On Nov. 3, Ioan Alin Zele, also known as Ioan Kanalos and Filippo Gaudenzi, 24, a citizen of Romania waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in federal court in New Haven to illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, officials said. Authorities said he was convicted in September 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The charges, including those of bank fraud and unlawful use of unauthorized access devices, were connected to his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain food stamp benefits by using skimming devices to clone food stamp cards belonging to others, officials said. The cards were cloned and used to withdraw food stamp benefits, according to officials.
In that case, Zele was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was removed to Romania in June 2024, officials said. He came back into the country and was arrested by Connecticut State Police in December 2024, according to authorities.
He was arrested under the name Ioan Kanalos and charged with third-degree computer crime, fraudulent use of an ATM card, fourth-degree larceny, third-degree identity theft and illegal use of a scanning device, officials said. Zele pleaded guilty in state court and was charged federally on Oct. 2 after completing his sentence. He has been detained since.
Zele is expected to face sentencing on Feb. 24, 2026 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
On Oct. 15, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Carlos Cabrera-Zaruma, 45, a citizen of Ecuador residing in Danbury with illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, officials said. According to authorities, he was convicted in 2008 in state court on charges of second-degree sexual assault of a victim under 16 and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Cabrera-Zaruma was deported to Ecuador in September 2010 and later returned to the country when he came to Connecticut, officials said. He has been detained since his arrest on Oct. 7, officials said.