Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Honduran National illegally residing the Springfield, Missouri, area, was sentenced in federal court today for Illegal Re-entry by an Alien after subsequently being convicted of a prior felony crime.

Rubin Arturo Pinot-Banegas, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas Harpool to 10 months imprisonment without parole followed by one year of supervised release.

On June 27, 2025, Nixa Police Department officers responded to a traffic accident involving a two-car collision.  Officers contacted five Honduran nationals, who had been involved in the traffic collision.  The defendant, Pinot-Banegas, provided local officers with his name.  Identity documents were then obtained by law enforcement, and it was determined that Pinot-Banegas had a Honduran passport, but did not have documents showing that he was legally within the United States.  Department of Homeland Security – Immigration Customs Enforcement (HSI-ICE) Agents responded and determined that Pinot-Banegas was illegally in the United States after having been removed four time before – once in 2007, once in 2009, once in 2015, and once in 2017.

Pinot-Banegas had been convicted of domestic battery, as well as a misdemeanor conviction for illegally entering the United States in 2015, and a felony conviction for illegally entering the United States after being previously deported in 2017.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Nixa, Missouri, Police Department.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.