A Honduran national, Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, has entered a guilty plea in a U.S. District Court in Bangor for entering the United States illegally after a prior removal. The 35-year-old was found outside a Brownville convenience store earlier this month and was approached by a U.S. Border Patrol agent due to suspicious behavior. Upon inquiry, Matute-Duarte initially hesitated but eventually confirmed his illegal status in the country.
Court documents reveal that Matute-Duarte was previously arrested in 2015 for illegal entry in Texas and subsequently deported. He failed to obtain consent from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for re-entry into the country. He currently faces up to two years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000, pending the results of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, factoring in the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case is part of a broader initiative known as Operation Take Back America, which involves the Department of Justice's comprehensive efforts to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. This initiative integrates resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
