Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Honduran national living in Auburn was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland today for entering the United States after a prior removal, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Santos Roman Pena Matute, 28, to thirteen months and a day in prison. Pena Matute pleaded guilty April 21, 2022.

According to court records, in January 2022, Pena Matute was arrested on domestic violence charges and detained at the Androscoggin Jail. After an investigation confirmed Pena Matute was illegally present in the U.S. and further revealed that he had previously been removed from the U.S. on four occasions, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer with the jail, and Pena Matute was charged with illegally entering the county after a prior removal. Pena Matute had been previously convicted in federal court in Texas for illegal re-entry into the United States and in California for attempted illegal entry.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.

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