Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty to Entering the United States After a Prior Removal

BANGOR, Maine: A Guatemalan man pleaded guilty in federal court today to entering the United States after a prior removal, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in December 2021, Nelson Obed Mendez-Gomez, 31, was a passenger in a truck driving in Rangeley. The vehicle refused to yield despite being followed by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent who was driving in a law enforcement vehicle with emergency lights and sirens. Once the truck stopped, Mendez-Gomez was removed along with the other vehicle occupants. A subsequent records check revealed that he had previously been deported from the United States on January 1, 2013, and July 12, 2017.

Mendez-Gomez faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces not more than one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

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