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Defendant Hailed as ‘Coyote’ for Preying on Immigrants, Relatives
Fresno, CA – In a stunning display of deceit, Martin Carranza Sánchez, a 45-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud. The brazen scheme targeted immigrants seeking to enter the United States without proper documentation and their relatives already residing in the country.
According to court documents, between January 2010 and January 21, 2016, Carranza Sánchez posed as a human smuggler, known as a ‘coyote,’ and promised to deliver the immigrants to the United States in exchange for a hefty sum of money. However, the scheme was riddled with deceit, as Carranza Sánchez and his accomplices would demand payment from the relatives in the United States via electronic transfer, only to leave the immigrants stranded in Mexico.
Victims of the scheme reported being threatened with physical harm by Carranza Sánchez and his cohorts unless they made the payments promptly. In some cases, the immigrants were even told to cross the border, only to be apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The investigation revealed that Carranza Sánchez and his accomplices swindled U.S. residents out of a staggering $95,000 as a result of their conspiracy. As part of his plea agreement, Carranza Sánchez has agreed to pay back the victims the full amount.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela L. Scott is leading the case.
Carranza Sánchez is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Drozd.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: White Collar Crime|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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