Sex offender in Rhode Island sentenced for illegally reentering U.S.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A man illegally in the United States previously convicted of soliciting a minor in Rhode Island was sentenced to prison Monday for unlawful reentry.

The United States Attorney’s Office for Rhode Island said 52-year-old Carlos Gregorio Santos of Guatemala was deported in April 2019 and arrested by Providence police on Sept. 29, 2023.

Authorities said the arrest was the result of an investigation into an alleged altercation over a dispute about wages, after which Santos provided police with a false name and false date of birth.

The attorney’s office said the FBI later confirmed Santos’s real identity, and he pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to a charge of illegal reentry after removal.

Officials said Santos was sentenced to twelve months and one day in federal prison followed by one year of federal supervised release.

He faces deportation upon completion of his current term of incarceration, per authorities.