Fayetteville residents Martha Zelaya-Mejia and David Darnell Whitehead have been arrested on charges of alien smuggling, forced labor, and money laundering. According to a 42-count indictment, Zelaya-Mejia and Whitehead conspired to smuggle four Honduran females and their minor children from Honduras, through Mexico into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
On August 9, 2019, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from one of the Honduran females who was being held against her will at a residence in Willard, North Carolina. The female claimed she was not free to leave and was being held against her will, and was even tased by the owner of the residence.
As part of the smuggling scheme, Zelaya-Mejia and Whitehead transmitted thousands of dollars in various wire transfers from locations in the Eastern District of North Carolina to Honduras, Mexico and areas located on the US – Mexican border to smugglers.
If convicted of conspiracy to smuggle, transport, and conceal aliens, Zelaya-Mejia and Whitehead face up to a maximum imprisonment of 10 years per count, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of conspiracy and forced labor, they face up to a maximum imprisonment of 20 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of conspiracy and money laundering, they face up to a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment, $500,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said, ‘Human smugglers, time and time again, prove they have little regard for human life. Travelling from Honduras through Mexico into the US with small children, poses immense dangers from smugglers, gangs, and cartels that are only interested in their personal financial gain.’
Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina, added, ‘The arrests will bring an end to the reign of terror that these two predators inflicted on their victims. Human smuggling is akin to modern day slavery and the perpetrators of this evil do tremendous physical and mental damage to their victims.’
The defendants are being investigated by agents with Homeland Security Investigations, Pender County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel Diaz is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.7:20-CR-191.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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