ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A Guatemalan man who’s been deported six times before is facing a two-year prison sentence after being arrested in St. Johns County on Sept. 11, the Department of Justice announced Friday.

In a press release, the DOJ said United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe returned an indictment charging Jose Godinez-Mendoza, 39, with illegal reentry into the country by a previously deported person without legal status.

If convicted, Godinez-Mendoza faces up to two years in federal prison, followed by deportation from the U.S., the DOJ said.

On Sept. 7, 2025, the DOJ said in its release that Godinez-Mendoza was found voluntarily back in the U.S. in the St. Augustine area, where he was encountered during a traffic stop by a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the DOJ’s release, Godinez-Mendoza was removed from the U.S. on six separate occasions from Dec. 29, 2011 through his most recent deportation on Dec. 28, 2018. Godinez-Mendoza has never applied for permission to lawfully reenter the country, the DOJ said.

The DOJ further stated in its release that the case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.