United States of America v. Juan Pablo Clabijo Tacuri

Portland, Maine criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

Ecuadorian National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

An Ecuadorian national pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.



According to court records, on January 27, 2025, an officer from the Brunswick Police Department observed Juan Pablo Clabijo Tacuri, 37, operating a vehicle without a seatbelt. After Clabijo Tacuri pulled into a gas station parking lot, the officer approached the vehicle. When asked for his license, Clabijo Tacuri presented a Massachusetts driver's license with a false name. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the United States on four occasions and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the United States.



Clabijo Tacuri faces a maximum prison term of two years and a fine up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).