Enrique Fajardo Marin, Reentry and Sex Offender Violation, CT 2018

ENRIQUE FAJARDO MARIN, 39, a citizen of Ecuador most recently living in Danbury, Connecticut, was indicted on February 1, 2018, for illegally reentering the United States and failing to register as a sex offender. The charges, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, expose a pattern of evasion and disregard for federal law by a man already convicted of preying on a minor.

Fajardo appeared in federal court in Bridgeport before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel, where he pleaded not guilty to both counts. One charge carries a maximum 20-year sentence for illegal reentry after deportation; the other, a 10-year maximum, stems from his failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)—a federal mandate designed to track offenders and protect communities.

Court records show Fajardo’s criminal history in Connecticut dates back to December 2011, when he was convicted in Danbury Superior Court of illegal sexual contact with a minor and risk of injury to a child. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with the execution of the sentence suspended after 10 years served, followed by 20 years of probation. As part of that conviction, he was required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

On February 6, 2016, Fajardo was deported to Ecuador. But less than a year later, on June 28, 2017, he was arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts. Authorities allege he had crossed back into the U.S. illegally and had been living in the Danbury area since at least May 1, 2017—all while failing to register as a sex offender in any state.

Since his arrest, Fajardo has remained in federal custody. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Marshals Service, and assisted by Connecticut State Parole officials. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater, who emphasized the seriousness of both the immigration violation and the threat posed by unregistered sex offenders.

U.S. Attorney John H. Durham cautioned that the indictment is not evidence of guilt, and Fajardo is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Still, the case raises urgent questions about border enforcement and public safety when high-risk offenders slip through the cracks. A trial date has not yet been set.