David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN O’ROURKE, also known as JOHN CASEY, 27, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, O’Rourke has used several other aliases including “John O’Rouke,” “Michael Casey,” “John Joyce,” “Robert Davanzo,” “David Collins,” and “James McCormack.” On October 7, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended O’Rourke, under an alias, and four other individuals near Fort Covington, New York, close to Canadian border. An investigation revealed that O’Rourke did not have legal status in the United States and, on October 15, 2024, he was removed by foot from New York to Canada.
O’Rourke subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S. On February 18, 2025, O’Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and charged with state offenses including evading responsibility and breach of peace. On March 2, 2026, O’Rourke was arrested under the name John Casey in Pleasonton, California, on an arrest warrant issued by a judge in Torrington, Connecticut, charging O’Rourke with larceny in the first degree, making home improvements without a valid home improvement certificate, and mispresenting or impersonating a registered contractor. O’Rourke also has a pending state case in Danbury, Connecticut for larceny.
Additional investigation revealed that O’Rourke has pending cases stemming from 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. He also is being sought by law enforcement in Surrey, England.
O’Rourke has been detained since his arrest in California on March 2, 2026. Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for August 6, at which time O’Rourke faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
This matter has been investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj. N. Patel.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Connecticut — U.S. Department of Justice press release.