BANGOR – A Honduran man who had been living in Washington County was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to more than three years in prison for re-entering the country after deportation.

Simon Romero-Benites, 41, of Columbia, Maine, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and to three years of supervised release after he completes his sentence.

He faced up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Because he had been found guilty of a felony 10 years ago while he was living illegally in Florida, Romero-Benites faced more prison time than if he had had no criminal record.

Romero-Benites pleaded guilty to the charge in October.

He was arrested on Jan. 10, 2006, after a vehicle in which he was a passenger was stopped by a state trooper on Route 1 in East Machias.

A background check, according to court documents, found that he was convicted of attempted murder in 1997 in Orange County, Fla.

Romero-Benites was deported from Miami in 1999 after serving a four-year prison sentence. He returned to the U.S. three months later, according to court documents.

It could not be determined Thursday how long Romero-Benites had been living in Maine or where he was working and living.