A Jamaican citizen, Marlon Hodges, also known as "Michael Stewart," has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after being deported in 2016. The plea was entered before United States District Court Judge Anita B. Brody.
In February of the previous year, federal authorities discovered Hodges' presence in the U.S., despite his deportation in 2016. On March 6, 2024, an enforcement operation by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Border Enforcement Security Task Force led to Hodges' arrest. He was seen leaving a residence on Walton Avenue in Philadelphia and walking to a store on South 56th Street.
Upon entering the store, investigators approached Hodges who identified himself as Marlon Hodges but lacked identification. A search revealed he possessed a fraudulent Pennsylvania driver's license with his photo under the name Michael Stewart. Fingerprint checks confirmed his identity.
Hodges' criminal and immigration history shows a conviction for first-degree assault in Orange County, New York, in February 2005, resulting in a 14-year prison sentence. In March of that year, U.S. immigration officers issued him a Notice to Appear for being an alien convicted of an aggravated felony—a crime of violence with a sentence of one year or longer.
An immigration judge ordered his removal from the U.S. to Jamaica in January 2006. After serving his prison term, Hodges was deported via ICE Air Operations on April 28, 2016. He later reentered the U.S. at an unknown location and date.
Hodges is scheduled for sentencing on May 27.
The investigation was conducted by the HSI Border Enforcement Security Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.