Luis Trejos Sentenced to 30 Months for Money Laundering and Harbori…

Luis Trejos, a 45-year-old permanent resident alien from Costa Rica, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for money laundering and harboring illegal aliens. The sentence comes after Trejos pleaded guilty to employing roofers without legal status, both in Iowa and Kentucky.

United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade presided over the sentencing on April 18, 2013. In addition to the prison term, Trejos must pay a $200 special assessment and serve three years of supervised release following his release from custody.

Trejos’s criminal activities involved arranging for illegal alien workers to perform roofing work in Iowa. Evidence showed that he knew these workers were in the United States illegally but took no action to verify their legal status, nor did he employ legal workers.

Judge Reade highlighted the extensive nature of Trejos’s involvement in organizing and managing criminal activity. The defendant will be transported to a federal prison upon his sentence.

The case against Trejos was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard L. Murphy and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Court file information is available online at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl under case number 12-CR-00061.

The grim case serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and consequences involved in human trafficking and financial crimes within the organized crime realm.