Jose Godinez-Mendoza, aged 39, could face a prison term of up to two years if convicted for reentering the United States illegally following his previous deportation.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A man from Guatemala, who has been deported six times, is now looking at a potential two-year imprisonment after his arrest in St. Johns County on September 11, as reported by the Department of Justice on Friday.
In a statement, the DOJ mentioned that United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe has indicted Jose Godinez-Mendoza, 39, for reentering the country illegally after being deported.
If convicted, Godinez-Mendoza faces up to two years in federal prison, followed by deportation from the U.S., the DOJ said.
The DOJ’s report indicated that on September 7, 2025, Godinez-Mendoza was discovered back in the U.S. voluntarily when he was stopped by a deputy from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in the St. Augustine area.
As per the DOJ’s announcement, Godinez-Mendoza has been deported from the United States on six different occasions, from December 29, 2011, to his latest deportation on December 28, 2018. He has never sought authorization to legally return to the U.S., according to the DOJ.
The DOJ further stated in its release that the case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
