A foreign national from the Ivory Coast is facing possible deportation from the United States after he was sentenced this week to just over four years in prison for the 2021 robbery of a convenience store in Maine.

Max Gbetibouo, 51, an Ivory Coast national who was living in Lewiston, was sentenced to 51 months in prison in a federal court in Portland on Wednesday for interference with commerce by robbery.

The Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d’Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa.

While sentencing Gbetibouo, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen noted that as a foreign national, he would likely face deportation following incarceration.

In court records, federal prosecutors alleged that in September 2021, Gbetibouo entered a convenience store brandishing a multicolored 1911 pistol and demanded money from the register.

The store clerk complied, and Gbetibouo fled the store on foot. The robbery was captured by surveillance video.

Gbetibouo pleaded guilty to the federal charge in August 2024.

Previous press releases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine described Gbetibouo as a “Lewiston man,” without reference to his immigration status or nationality.

The Saco Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Portland Police Department investigated the case.