U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama issued the following announcement on Jan. 9.
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces today that United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced defendant Alexis Hernandez, 23, of Houston, Texas, to imprisonment for 12 months for unlawfully transporting illegal aliens in the United States. As part of the sentence, the judge ordered that Hernandez be subject to three years of supervised release after finishing his term of imprisonment, pay a $100 mandatory special assessment, and receive substance abuse testing and treatment as directed by the U.S. Probation Office.
On October 10, 2019, United States Attorney Moore charged Hernandez with one count of unlawfully transporting aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) and (B)(i). Hernandez appeared in court the following day and pleaded guilty to the charge.
Hernandez admitted to the following facts at his plea hearing. On October 1, 2019, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Aubrey Bishop was conducting interdiction operations on Interstate 10 near Grand Bay, Alabama. At 11:45 a.m., Bishop saw a Toyota Sequoia vehicle bearing a Texas license plate traveling eastbound on I-10. He saw the vehicle exit off the interstate without using a turn signal. Bishop activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for the traffic violation. Bishop approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, who was Hernandez. Bishop explained to him why he was stopped and asked for his driver’s license. Hernandez was unable to produce a driver’s license and instead produced another identification card. Bishop asked a passenger if he had a license. The passenger did not speak English; the passenger did not have a driver’s license and produced a foreign identification card instead. A United States Border Patrol Agent arrived on the scene to assist with the traffic stop. The vehicle had eight occupants: Hernandez and seven passengers who were illegal aliens. The eight occupants were transported to the Mobile, Alabama Border Patrol Station.
At the station, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Daniel W. Roland interviewed several passengers in Spanish. One of the passengers (“Alien 1”), a Honduran national, said that she had illegally crossed the United States border near Camargo, Mexico (Rio Grande City, Texas). Alien 1 said that she had gotten in a truck with a trailer driven by an unknown male. Alien 1 said that she had ridden in the truck until arriving in Houston, Texas. Alien 1 said that she had stayed at an apartment in Houston, Texas for approximately four days. Alien 1 said that there were other illegal aliens at the apartment with her. Alien 1 said that the woman, who appeared to be in charge of the apartment, took her to a gas station and waited with her until another vehicle arrived. According to Alien 1, when the other vehicle arrived the woman told her to get in the vehicle. Alien 1 said that Hernandez was the driver of the vehicle. Alien 1 said that her brother had made the arrangements to be smuggled to Silver Spring, Maryland.
Agent Roland interviewed another passenger (“Alien 2”). Alien 2, an Ecuadorian national, said that he had illegally crossed the United States border near Miguel Aleman, Mexico (Roma, Texas). Alien 2 said that after crossing the border, he was taken to Houston, Texas by vehicle where he was taken to a house. Alien 2 said that he had stayed at the house in Houston for approximately four days. Alien 2 said that an unknown individual took him to a parking lot where they waited for another vehicle to arrive. Alien 2 said that another vehicle showed up driven by Hernandez. Alien 2 said that he had gotten in the vehicle. Alien 2 said that his brother had made the arrangements for him to be smuggled to New York.
Agent Roland interviewed another passenger (“Alien 3”). Alien 3, a Mexican national, said that he had illegally crossed the United States border near Camargo, Mexico (Rio Grande City, Texas). Alien 3 said that after he had crossed the border, he was taken to Houston, Texas, where he was taken to a house and told to wait for a vehicle to arrive. Alien 3 said that a vehicle arrived at the house and that he had entered the vehicle. Alien 3 said that Hernandez was the driver of the vehicle. Alien 3 said that his uncle had made the arrangements for him to be smuggled to South Carolina.
Agent Roland interviewed another passenger (“Alien 4”). Alien 4, an Ecuadorian national, said that he had illegally crossed the United States border near McAllen, Texas. Alien 4 said that he was driven from McAllen, Texas to Houston, Texas by an unknown individual. Alien 4 said that he was taken to a house in Houston, Texas where he was told to wait for a vehicle to arrive. Alien 4 said that an unknown person at the house and took him to a store, where they waited for another vehicle to arrive. Another vehicle did arrive, driven by Hernandez. Alien 4 said that he was told to get in the car driven by Hernandez. Alien 4 said that his father had made the arrangements for him to be smuggled to New York.
Agent Roland also interviewed Hernandez. He said that a relative had told him that she knew of a woman that had some people who needed to go up north. Hernandez said that the woman’s son dropped off the individuals – who were discovered in Hernandez’s vehicle during Bishop’s traffic stop – at his house. Hernandez said that the individual gave him some gas money and an address. Hernandez said that he believed that he was going to be paid $100 per alien located in the vehicle.
The United States Border Patrol and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sinan Kalayoglu prosecuted the case.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up