A Guatemalan national, Rafael Vincente Vincente, has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after being deported and admitted to attempting to entice, patronize, or solicit a minor in violation of federal law. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Vincente, 41, who last resided in New London and is also known by several aliases including “Rafael Vicente Vicente,” “Vincente Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vicente,” “Rafael A Vincente,” and “Rafael A Vicente,” entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford.
According to court records and statements made during proceedings, Vincente was convicted in October 2004 in Connecticut Superior Court of negligent homicide and evading responsibility for a motor vehicle accident resulting in death. He received a 10-year sentence that was suspended after 13 months served. In July 2005, he was deported to Guatemala due to his lack of legal immigration status.
Authorities stated that Vincente later returned unlawfully to the U.S. On June 7, 2024, Groton Town Police arrested him on charges including attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, attempted sexual assault in the second degree, and attempted risk of injury to a child. The charges arose from an undercover operation where law enforcement posted an advertisement on Skip the Games—a website frequently used for commercial sex activity—and apprehended Vincente when he traveled to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl at a hotel in Groton.
Vincente has remained detained since his federal arrest on November 21, 2024.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2026. He faces up to ten years in prison.
The investigation involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gordon is prosecuting the case.
David X. Sullivan expressed appreciation for local collaboration: "U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of New London for its cooperation in the prosecution of this case."
