3 Mexican men sentenced in Houston for alien smuggling resulting in a death
HOUSTON — Three men from Mexico were sentenced Monday for their roles in a conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens which resulted in the death of one of the people being smuggled.
These sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, U.S. Attorney Southern District of Texas, and Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Jose Heriberto Lopez, 42, Jose Arenas-Lucero, 51, and Miguel Angel Medina-Ortiz, 37, pleaded guilty in September, October and November 2014, respectively. U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore considered relevant conduct for an incident in Oklahoma which involved the death of an alien being transported by Lopez. As a result, he received a sentence of 70 months in federal prison. Arenas-Lucero and Medina-Ortiz received respective prison sentences of 24 and 18 months. All are citizens of Mexico who had resided in Houston and will face deportation proceedings after they complete their federal prison sentences.
“The tragic loss of life in this case shows the very real risks that people face when they put themselves in the hands of a smuggler,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of HSI Houston. “Criminals who illegally smuggle people into and through our country place personal profit ahead of public safety and border protection.”
Lopez and others engaged in a conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens from April 2014 until his arrest on June 12, 2014. Authorities discovered a stash house in Houston following a 911 call. HSI ultimately discovered 34 illegal aliens being held in the house that had boarded up windows.
The undocumented aliens claimed the defendants would take their shoes, phones and other property upon entry into the home. The illegal aliens were detained at the house by guards until their families had paid their entire bill for further transportation into the United States. Lopez and Arenas-Lucero were guards in the home and occasionally drove the aliens to their next destination. Medina-Ortiz was involved in the payment portion of the scheme.
The three defendants have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This investigation was conducted by HSI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.
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