A Honduran illegal alien who was arrested outside of a convenience store in Brownville in March has been sentenced and will face now face likely deportation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Thursday.
Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, 35, a Honduran citizen, was sentenced to time served of approximately 70 days by U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann in federal court in Bangor on Thursday.
Matute-Duarte previously pleaded guilty to illegally entering a U.S. after a prior removal in early April, a federal crime that can carry a sentence of up to two years in prison a maximum fine of $250,000.
According to federal prosecutors, on March 10 of this year, Matute-Duarte was approached outside of a Brownville convenience store by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who thought he was acting suspiciously.
The Border Patrol agent found that Matute-Duarte was in the country illegally, and had previously been arrested and deported in 2015 for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that following his sentencing, Matute-Duarte was taken into custody for immigration proceedings and faces likely deportation.
