A Guatemalan national previously convicted of negligent homicide in Connecticut has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States and attempting to engage in sexual activity with a minor.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Rafael Vincente Vincente, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford. Vincente had used several aliases and last resided in New London.
Court records show that Vincente was convicted in October 2004 in Connecticut Superior Court for negligent homicide and evading responsibility after a fatal motor vehicle accident. He received a 10-year sentence, suspended after serving 13 months, and was deported to Guatemala in July 2005.
After returning to the U.S., Vincente was arrested on June 7, 2024, by Groton Town Police during an undercover operation. Authorities said he responded to an online advertisement on Skip the Games—a website known for commercial sex ads—and traveled to a hotel intending to meet a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl.
Vincente has been held since his federal arrest on November 21, 2024. He pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025, to illegal reentry and admitted attempting to entice or solicit a minor under federal law.
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 prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stated: "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."
