ALPINE, Texas – Seminole’s Tobias Penner Peters, 46, has admitted guilt in a harrowing plane crash that injured undocumented noncitizens. The incident occurred on December 30, 2021, when Peters piloted an aircraft carrying five undocumented individuals before the flight took a grim turn.
According to court documents, following the crash at Presidio Airport, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived to find the injured parties. But by then, Peters had vanished towards Mexico. It wasn’t until three months later that he turned himself in at the Presidio Port of Entry. One of the undocumented passengers, suffering from a severe back injury, was life-flighted to El Paso hospital and is now confined to a wheelchair.
Peters has pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury. The court date for sentencing is set for April 25, 2023, where he faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will decide the sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter involves Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Greenbaum is handling the prosecution of this case.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola of the HSI El Paso Division have both confirmed the charges against Peters.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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