A Frederick woman who was deported after a border encounter is now headed to federal prison, after authorities say she slipped back into the country and surfaced again following a violent knife attack in the city.
Vanessa Yalixa Munoz‑Baque, 31, was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison for illegally returning to the United States after a prior removal. Her federal case unfolded against the backdrop of a separate state prosecution that grew out of a September 2024 stabbing in Frederick.
Federal Sentence Handed Down
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett imposed the six‑month term, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Prosecutors said Munoz‑Baque had been removed to Ecuador in August 2023, then illegally re‑entered the country on Nov. 3, 2023, before settling in Frederick.
According to the same release, the federal illegal re‑entry case was handled on its own track and remains separate from the state assault case tied to the local stabbing.
State Case And Local Arrest
Frederick police arrested Munoz‑Baque on Sept. 11, 2024, after authorities say she held a knife to a man's neck and stabbed him in the leg, leading to attempted murder and assault charges, according to Daily Voice.
In March 2025, she pleaded guilty to first‑degree assault in Frederick County Circuit Court, where a judge sentenced her to 25 years with all but three years suspended, the outlet reported. That conviction was prosecuted in circuit court and is distinct from the federal immigration case.
How Federal Authorities Traced Her Return
Before Monday's sentencing, Munoz‑Baque had already pleaded guilty to illegally re‑entering the United States after her 2023 removal, and prosecutors said that sentencing on the re‑entry charge was scheduled for late June, according to WFMD.
The plea followed investigators' discovery that she had come back to Frederick and was living in the city before her arrest on the state charges, the station reported.
Border Encounter And Removal Order
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said federal agents first encountered Munoz‑Baque near Eagle Pass, Texas, in June 2023. Immigration officials then placed her in expedited removal proceedings and returned her to Ecuador.
Prosecutors said she never obtained authorization from the Attorney General or the Department of Homeland Security to lawfully come back to the United States. The office framed the illegal re‑entry prosecution as part of its "Operation Take Back America" initiative.
What It Means Locally
With both state and federal sentences now stacked up, the case highlights how local and federal prosecutors can bring separate charges that grow out of the same underlying conduct, according to Daily Voice.
Officials have not publicly said whether Munoz‑Baque will serve her six‑month federal term before or after her state time. Court records will ultimately spell out the exact order of custody and any related filings.
