Juan Manuel Garcia, Human Smuggling, Texas 2014

Fatal Smuggling Conspiracy Yields Four Guilty Pleas

McALLEN, Texas – A harrowing tale of human trafficking and death has led to guilty pleas from four individuals in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

Julia Resendez, 33, of Sullivan City, pleaded guilty today, while Juan Manuel Garcia, 18, Eloy Mendoza Jr., 26, and Jose Manuel Lovato-Balleza, 23, entered their pleas on March 11, 2015. The quartet faces serious penalties for their roles in a smuggling conspiracy that claimed the lives of two Guatemalan nationals.

The federal investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, revealed a disturbing pattern of alien smuggling and harboring. On October 2, 2014, Border Patrol agents observed a truck driven by Garcia attempting to evade authorities near Sullivan City. The vehicle lost control, resulting in a rollover that ejected most of its passengers.

Agents responded quickly, and 11 illegal aliens were found at the scene, including a deceased female Guatemalan national. Several others suffered severe injuries, requiring hospitalization. Tragically, a male Guatemalan national succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Further investigation revealed that the aliens involved in the rollover had been harbored in two stash houses in Sullivan City. Agents discovered 15 aliens at a house on Huisache Street and 16 at a house on Ebony Street. Mendoza and Lovato were identified as caretakers of the aliens found in the Huisache house, while Resendez was the caretaker at the Ebony house.

The defendants will remain in custody pending sentencing, set for May 26, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane. Garcia faces up to life in federal prison, while Mendoza, Lovato, and Resendez face up to 10 years imprisonment, with a maximum fine of $250,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Lindenmuth is prosecuting the case.

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