Honduran man arrested for stealing from Kroger to serve time for being in US illegally
A Honduran national who had been arrested for stealing thousands of dollars in products from Cincinnati-area Kroger stores was sentenced to 10 months in prison for illegally reentering the country.
Jorge Alberto Marroquin Membrano, who also went by aliases of Oscar Castro and Jonathan Morrell, was sentenced in federal court in Cincinnati on May 13. U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland handed down the sentence. Membrano had pleaded guilty in December 2024.
Membrano was living in West Price Hill before he was arrested under one of his aliases in August 2024 on numerous theft charges. Authorities said Membrano stole over $2,300 in products from Kroger grocery stores in Delhi and Harrison, according to court documents.
In several of the cases, police said Membrano stole steaks, laundry and cleaning products by pushing a shopping cart, sometimes more than one, out of the store without paying.
After a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office investigation led deputies to discover Membrano's true identity and address, he was taken into custody. Membrano was booked at the Hamilton County Justice Center and his fingerprints were taken and shared with the FBI, who alerted Immigration and Customs Enforcement, court documents say.
ICE records referenced in court documents show Membrano has been deported from the United States at least six times, first in 2006 and most recently in 2019, mostly in the southern United States.
Membrano's attorney said in court documents he left Honduras and came to the United States in 1993 on a visa to see his mother, who lives in Ohio. His siblings and two children, 13 and 20 years old, also live in the area, which has led him to continue to return to the country.
Membrano, 47, has been previously convicted of reentering the country three times, officials said in court documents.
After Membano serves his 10 months in prison, federal officials said "it is almost certain" he will be deported again.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Court: Honduran man stole thousands from Kroger while in US illegally
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