BRIGHTON, Colo. -- An illegal immigrant was given the maximum sentence Wednesday for the hit-and-run death of a motorcyclist a year ago.

Roberto Martinez-Ruiz was handed a 16½-year prison sentence following his conviction for the July 2004 accident that killed Justin Goodman, 32, as Goodman was riding his motorcycle through a Thornton intersection.

Martinez-Ruiz, 33, was convicted in Adams County a year after the accident on seven criminal counts, including leaving the scene and tampering with evidence to cover up a crime.

In court Wednesday, he said he was very sorry for what he did. Martinez-Ruiz also asked the judge for a second chance because he had prior convictions on his record.

The family of Goodman asked the judge for the maximum prison sentence against Martinez-Ruiz who is a habitual traffic offender, according to traffic records.

Goodman died after he was hit by a sport utility vehicle that drove through the intersection of 88th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard without stopping.

Thornton investigators spent six months tracking down the Ford Explorer that hit Goodman, and finally found Martinez-Ruiz. Police said he is an illegal immigrant who had phony immigration documents and had been in trouble with the law several times before.

It was a 7NEWS investigation that revealed that no local law enforcement agency, prosecutor, or judge ever contacted federal immigration officials to have Martinez-Ruiz deported after his numerous arrests and time spent in jail.

Since 1996, Martinez-Ruiz used six different aliases, had arrests for driving under the influence, failure to appear in court, probation violation, careless driving, driving with a revoked license, and hit and run.

He has spent time in jail and in 2000, his drivers license was revoked for five years.