David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced on Mar. 19 that Jose Raul Maita, a 55-year-old citizen of Ecuador, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address illegal reentry into the United States by individuals previously deported for serious offenses. Authorities allege that Maita has a history of criminal convictions and repeated removals from the country.
According to court documents, Maita was granted legal permanent resident status in June 1996 based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. In February 1998, he was convicted in Westchester County Court in New York of first-degree sexual abuse involving forcible compulsion against a nine-year-old victim. He received five years of probation and was required to register as a sex offender. Subsequent convictions included failure to register as a sex offender in November 2000 and driving while intoxicated in August 2001, which led to revocation of his probation and one year of incarceration. Maita was deported to Ecuador in October 2003.
Authorities further allege that Maita illegally reentered the U.S., resulting in additional convictions: operating a motor vehicle under the influence in November 2006 and another failure to register as a sex offender in April 2007. After being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April 2008, he was convicted of unlawful reentry later that year and removed again to Ecuador in August 2009.
On September 20, 2025, Maita was arrested by Connecticut State Police in Southbury under an alias for charges including illegal operation of a motor vehicle without a license and while under the influence of alcohol and drugs; he was released on bond. A criminal complaint charging him with unlawful reentry was issued on November 4, 2025, by the U.S. District Court in New Haven. He was located and arrested this morning in Waterbury before appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector, who ordered him detained.
If convicted on the current charge, Maita faces up to twenty years imprisonment.
Sullivan said: “A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” The investigation is being conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, described as an initiative using Department of Justice resources “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.”
