A Guatemalan national who was deported following a negligent homicide conviction in Connecticut has admitted to illegally reentering the United States and attempting to sexual assault a minor.
Rafael Vincente Vincente, also known as “Rafael Vicente Vicente,” “Vincente Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vicente,” “Rafael A Vincente,” and “Rafael A Vicente,” 41, a citizen of Guatemala who last resided in New London, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He also reportedly admitted that he “attempted to entice, patronize, or solicit a minor in violation of federal law,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to court records, in October 2004, Vincente, who has never had legal immigration status in the U.S., was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court of negligent homicide and evading responsibility for a motor vehicle crash that resulted in death. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison suspended after 13 months, court records show.
In July 2005, Vincente was deported to Guatemala, according to court records. He later reentered the U.S. and, on June 7, 2024, was arrested by the Town of Groton Police Department and charged with attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, attempted second-degree sexual assault and attempted risk of injury to a child.
“The state charges stem from Vincente being caught in an undercover law enforcement operation in which he responded to an advertisement on Skip the Games, a website commonly used to advertise commercial sexual activity, and traveled to a hotel in Groton to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Vincente has been detained since his federal arrest on November. 21, 2024. His sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026, at which time he faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The investigation has been conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
