Convicted felon ordered to serve nearly 10 years for sexual assault near the Arizona/Mexico border
TUCSON, Ariz. – On Sept. 30, a federally convicted illegal alien from Mexico, who is currently serving 60 months in prison on alien smuggling charges, was ordered to serve an additional nine and a half years in state prison for sexually assaulting a woman he was attempting to smuggle into the United States May 13, 2017. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA).
Jose Pastrano-Rios also known as “El Bigotes,” 53, of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico pleaded guilty May 9, to sexual assault. According to state court documents, Pastrano repeatedly raped a woman and subsequently threatened and intimated her. He will not receive credit for time served.
“This additional sentence sends a strong message to predators everywhere,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI Phoenix. “Along the border where these assaults can be more prevalent and unreported, HSI will continue to work with our partners to bring those who seek to abuse a vulnerable population to justice for their horrific acts.”
HSI special agents were already investigating Pastrano’s involvement as a foot guide when the woman he was attempting to smuggle was apprehended by immigration officials and brought to a nearby hospital for dehydration. While receiving medical care, she relayed details of the sexual assault to federal agents. Through investigative means, special agents were able to obtain articles of clothing from both Pastrano and the victim for analysis which yielded positive results for semen. HSI drafted a search warrant to collect DNA from Pastrano for comparison with the semen samples recovered from the clothing items; the DNA test returned a positive match to the defendant.
This sentence was handed down by Arizona Superior Court, Pima County, Honorable Christopher Browning.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
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