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Sajah Konateh Pleads Guilty to Illegal Entry in Vermont
Burlington, VT – In a guilty plea delivered on May 27, 2025, Sajah Konateh, a 51-year-old citizen of The Gambia, admitted to entering the United States illegally. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, this illegal entry occurred at a time or place not designated by immigration authorities.
On May 19, 2025, at approximately 11:45 p.m., the United States Border Patrol received an image of three individuals, including Konateh, walking south toward the bike path on North Derby Road in Derby, Vermont. The area is less than a tenth of a mile south of the United States/Canada border. Investigators believed that the three individuals had just entered the United States illegally from Canada.
Border Patrol agents responded to the area, and found the three defendants, including Konateh, hiding in thick vegetation. The three defendants were placed under arrest. Border Patrol conducted records checks, which indicated that Konateh had no current legal status in the United States.
Konateh appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on May 27, 2025, where he pleaded guilty and received a time-served sentence. The two other individuals, Belvie Ikiela Lecka, 32, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ayse Gul Sakiner, 49, a citizen of Türkiye, pleaded guilty on May 20, 2025, to the same charges.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig. Konateh is represented by Assistant Federal Defender Sara Puls.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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