Ecuadorian National Convicted Of Child Sex Abuse In NY Admits Illegally Reentering U.S.: Feds

An Ecuadorian national who was previously deported following multiple convictions, including for child sex abuse in New York, has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the U.S.

Jose Raul Maita, 55, of Ecuador, entered the plea Wednesday during a proceeding before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford, Conn.

Sentencing is currently scheduled for July 2, and Maita potentially faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Connecticut, Maita has a lengthy criminal record which spans nearly three decades. Maita married a U.S. citizen, and in 1996, he was granted legal permanent resident status.

Prosecutors said Maita was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse involving force, and the victim was 9-years-old. That initial conviction was in Westchester County Court in New York in 1998. He was required to register as a sex offender, but didn’t, and in 2000, he was convicted in New York for failing to register, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

In 2001, Maita was convicted of driving while intoxicated and for violating his probation stemming from his original sexual abuse conviction, prosecutors said. The U.S. deported Maita to Ecuador in October 2003.

According to federal prosecutors, Maita snuck back into the country. In 2006, he was convicted in Westchester County Court of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. In 2007, he was again convicted in New York of failure to register as a sex offender.

In 2008, he was convicted of unlawful reentry and deported to Ecuador in 2009, but he later snuck back into the U.S. a second time, prosecutors said.

Connecticut State Police in September 2025 arrested Maita in Southbury, charging him with operating a motor vehicle without a license and while under the influence. In November, a criminal complaint was issued against him for unlawful entry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found and arrested Maita on March 18 in Waterbury, Conn., and he has been in custody since his arrest.