Mexican national pleads guilty in South Texas to alien smuggling resulting in death

MCALLEN, Texas — A Mexican national admitted Wednesday to knowingly transporting an illegal alien within the United States for private financial gain, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol, Pharr (Texas) Police Department, and Hidalgo County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office.

Victor Manuel Moreno-Ruiz, 31, also admitted that during the course of the illegal conduct, a female illegal alien died.

During his plea Sept. 2, Moreno-Ruiz admitted that on Aug. 4, 2014, he served as a foot guide responsible for smuggling a group of aliens into the United States. He instructed them how to walk along the side of the bridge and how to scale down from the bridge at the Pharr Port of Entry. In the process of crossing the bridge, a female illegal alien fell off the bridge and sustained severe injuries. Moreno admitted that he left the injured woman behind and continued to smuggle the remaining members of the group.

The next day, law enforcement officers discovered the deceased body of the woman. An autopsy revealed that she had died as a result of blunt force trauma due to a fall.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez accepted Moreno-Ruiz’s guilty plea and set sentencing for Nov. 12. At that time, Moreno faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Alex Benavides, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case.