Pedro Rayon-Perez, Alien Smuggling, Texas 2013

McALLEN, Texas – A Texas man has been ordered to serve 96 months in federal prison for his role in an alien smuggling scheme that preyed on vulnerable immigrants, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Pedro Rayon-Perez, 28, a Mexican national, was one of four individuals who pleaded guilty to harboring undocumented aliens. He concocted a scheme to capture illegal aliens attempting to enter the U.S. and extort money from their families for safe passage further north.

According to court documents, Rayon-Perez and his co-conspirators would abandon the aliens in public places south of the checkpoint once they had exhausted the extortion payments from families. In one instance, the group seized five additional aliens on Nov. 12, 2011, as they crossed the river, including a pregnant woman and her husband.

The 21-year-old woman was 8.5 months pregnant and had not seen her mother since her mother fled to the U.S. 20 years prior to financially support her family. The couple had intended to surprise her mother upon their arrival in the country.

Instead, Rayon-Perez and his co-conspirators exploited the young couple and three others by using their vulnerability to extort family members and intending to abandon them in the Rio Grande Valley once their scheme was complete. Rayon-Perez successfully defrauded the pregnant woman’s mother by stealing $4,800 – nearly all her savings.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane emphasized the unusual nature of the scheme and the unique vulnerability of its victims. He lauded law enforcement for its investigation of such aggravating circumstances that placed lives at risk and deprived immigrant families of their limited resources.

Rayon-Perez was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison, with 21 months added for being an illegal alien who had been deported previously. His co-conspirators, Osiel Castillo, 46, Roxanna Leal, 26, and Luis Aguilar-Hernandez, 42, also received sentences ranging from 10 to 15 months in prison. They will face deportation proceedings following their release. Leal will serve two years of supervised release following completion of her prison term.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the San Juan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Grady J. Leupold and Leo J. Leo III are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/leader-sentenced-alien-smuggling-scheme-steal-fees-aliens-and-their-families