Prairie State Wire

A Guatemalan national, Roberto Nicolas-Simon, age 24, has pleaded guilty to charges of being illegally present in the United States after a prior removal and failing to update his registration as a convicted sex offender. The plea was entered on September 24, 2025, and is pending acceptance by U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2, 2026, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.

In proceedings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Nicolas-Simon admitted to reentering the country without authorization and not updating his sex offender registration as required by law. The government stated that Nicolas-Simon had previously been removed from the United States following a conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor in Champaign County, Illinois, in 2020. As a result of that conviction, he was required to register his residential address under the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act.

Authorities discovered earlier this year that Nicolas-Simon had returned to the United States and was living in Champaign without registering his residence as mandated.

Nicolas-Simon is currently held by the United States Marshals Service while awaiting sentencing.

He faces up to ten years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each offense. Additionally, he could receive up to three years of supervised release for illegal presence in the country and between five years and life of supervised release for failing to update his sex offender registration.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement led the investigation with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch is prosecuting the case.