Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MIGUEL ANTONIO CONTRERAS-MARTINEZ, 54, a citizen of Honduras residing in Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the U.S.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Contreras-Martinez was deported from the U.S. to Honduras in 2006, following the completion of a Connecticut state sentence for a violation of probation and violation of a protective order, and in 2010, following the completion of a Connecticut state sentence for carrying a dangerous weapon. Contreras-Martinez returned to the U.S., was convicted in Connecticut state court of criminal trespass and in federal court of illegal reentry, and was deported to Honduras in 2013. He was subsequently again found in the U.S. and deported to Honduras in 2016.
In 2021, Contreras-Martinez was arrested by Stamford Police for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and operating a motor vehicle under suspension. He subsequently failed to appear for a court proceeding. On September 30, 2022, Contreras-Martinez turned himself into the Fairfield Police Department following a hit and run incident.
Contreras-Martinez has been detained since his federal arrest on November 10, 2022. On July 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Stolfi Collins.