UK Citizen Pleads Guilty In Federal Court To Illegal Reentry Into U.S. After Bridgeport Arrest

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 27-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Hartford to unlawful reentry into the United States of a removed alien, announced U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan.

John O’Rourke, who also used the name John Casey, waived his right to be indicted and entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver.

According to court documents and statements made in court, O’Rourke used several aliases, including “John O’Rouke,” “Michael Casey,” “John Joyce,” “Robert Davanzo,” “David Collins,” and “James McCormack.”

Federal authorities said U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended O’Rourke and four others near Fort Covington, New York, on Oct. 7, 2024, near the Canadian border. Investigators determined he did not have legal status in the United States, and he was removed to Canada on Oct. 15, 2024.

Authorities said O’Rourke later reentered the United States unlawfully.

On Feb. 18, 2025, O’Rourke was arrested in Bridgeport under the name John Casey and charged with state offenses including evading responsibility and breach of peace.

On March 2, 2026, authorities arrested O’Rourke in Pleasanton, California, on a warrant issued in Torrington charging him with first-degree larceny, making home improvements without a valid home improvement certificate, and misrepresenting or impersonating a registered contractor. He also has a pending larceny case in Danbury, according to officials.

Investigators said O’Rourke also faces pending cases tied to arrests under various aliases in Suffolk County, New York, in November 2023; Everett, Washington, in September 2025; Linden, New Jersey, in December 2025; and Snohomish County, Washington, in January 2026. Authorities in Surrey, England, are also seeking him, according to federal officials.

O’Rourke has been held since his March 2 arrest in California. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6. He faces up to two years in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel is prosecuting it.