Mateo Gomez Gonzalez, Unlawful Transportation of Noncitizens, California 2022

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Table of Contents

Human Smuggler Caught in Yolo County, California

A human smuggler, also known as a ‘coyote,’ has been taken into federal custody in Sacramento, California, on a criminal complaint charging him with unlawful transportation of noncitizens without status in the United States.

Mateo Gomez Gonzalez, 29, of Mexico, was arrested at a gas station near Dunnigan, California, and is currently in federal custody in Sacramento.

According to court documents, on September 28, 2022, a concerned resident of Sacramento called law enforcement to report that his relative and a friend were being held over a payment dispute in a human smuggling operation.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the transport of Mexican citizens to the United States was threatening to drop the relative and family friend at an unknown stash house rather than to the awaiting family members if additional payment was not made.

Acting on the tip, law enforcement met the vehicle at a gas station, discovered four passengers in the vehicle who did not have lawful status in the United States, and arrested the driver, Gomez.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Denise Yasinow are prosecuting the case. The investigation is ongoing.

If convicted, Gomez faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison per individual smuggled. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.