BANGOR, Maine — An Ecuadorian national who had previously been removed from the United States in 2011 and 2016 was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally reentering the country.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. sentenced William Leonardo Dutan Gagui, 33, to time served. Dutan Gagui had been incarcerated since Sept. 14, 2025.
According to court records, Dutan Gagui was a passenger in a speeding van stopped by Border Patrol agents earlier in September. The van was being operated by an illegal alien. When questioned by agents, Dutan Gagui admitted he was a citizen of Ecuador and did not have legal documentation to remain in the United States.
A review of immigration records confirmed that Dutan Gagui had previously been removed from the country in November 2011 and again in August 2016, both times in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Federal authorities said the prosecution was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at enforcing immigration law, targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
