A Laredo resident has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of alien smuggling, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Jose Alfredo Lopez, 34, of Laredo, Texas, pleaded guilty to alien smuggling on October 6, 2014.
At the sentencing, Lopez admitted he had harbored illegal aliens for profit, but denied the attempted sexual assault.
The case began in June 2014 when Lopez picked up three Honduran nationals who had just crossed the Rio Grande River into the United States and offered to help them. Lopez, who already has an extensive criminal history including a prior conviction for alien smuggling, then took the aliens to his apartment where he demanded money before letting them go.
When the money was not immediately forthcoming, Lopez told one of the aliens that she had to pay with either money or her body and attempted to sexually assault her several times. The alien who had been the target of the attempted sexual assault testified about the incidents, with specific details about the various threats he had made towards the aliens.
Sentencing took place recently, where Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Lopez to 50 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonah Lee.
Related Federal Cases
- Miguel Pacheco-Lopez, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2023 · Florida
- Jose Luis Tobias, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2012 · Texas
- Jose Alberto Izquierdo-Gonzalez, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2013 · Texas
- Galdino Jose Ruiz-Hernandez, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2017 · Wisconsin
- Jose Guadalupe Antonio-Arredondo, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2024 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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