January 22, 2008

Man Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Forced Labor

Karen P. Hewitt, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, announced today that GLORIA EUGENIA LEON-ALDANA entered a guilty plea in United States District Court in San Diego before the Honorable M. James Lorenz, to various charges relating to the smuggling of aliens and forced labor. LEON-ALDANA pleaded guilty to three counts of Bringing in Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain and one count of Forced Labor. Her plea follows the guilty pleas last week of two co-defendants, JUAN ANDRES-SANTOS and AGUSTIN ALONSO-TERRERO, who pleaded to one and three counts of Bringing in Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain, respectively. The only remaining defendant charged in the 19-count Superseding Indictment, MARIO ANTONIO ANTUNEZ-SOTELO, remains a fugitive.

LEON-ALDANA was charged with various offenses that she committed in 2006 as a member of an alien smuggling operation that recruited aliens in Mexico, smuggled the aliens into the United States, harbored the aliens within San Diego, California, and then compelled their labor through a series of threats. Co-defendants ANDRES-SANTOS and ALONSO-TERRERO admitted that they smuggled aliens into the United States from Mexico. The Superseding Indictment charged that the aliens were smuggled after Defendant ANTUNEZ-SOTELO recruited the aliens in Mexico. The Superseding Indictment further alleged that the aliens were harbored in the United States by LEON-ALDANA and ANTUNEZ-SOTELO. As part of her plea, LEON-ALDANA admitted that she compelled the labor of a particular alien by threatening to contact Border Patrol to arrest the alien if he did not provide services as she instructed. The Superseding Indictment further charges ANTUNEZ-SOTELO with threatening aliens with physical harm to themselves or their families.

United States Attorney Hewitt stated, “We are gratified to resolve an important case where persons were exploited under various threats. The compulsion of another’s labor in our jurisdiction is a serious crime that our office will continue to prosecute, no matter the legal status of the victim.” “The filing of trafficking charges in this case underscores ICE’s historical resolve to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in this reprehensible form of exploitation are brought to justice,” said Miguel Unzueta, special agent in charge for ICE office of investigations in San Diego. “However, we can not do this alone. We need to hear from people in the community who have vital tips that will lead us to victims who may be living in fear.”

Co-defendant ANDRES-SANTOS was also sentenced today by Judge Lorenz to time served, approximately 13 months in custody and three years of supervised release. Co-defendant ALONSOTERRERO is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lorenz on April 1, 2008. LEON-ALDANA is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lorenz on April 7, 2008. Defendant ANTUNEZ-SOTELO remains at large, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

DEFENDANTS Case Number: 07CR0035-L
Gloria Eugenia Leon-Aldana (1),
Juan Andres-Santos (2),
Agustin Alonso-Terrero (3),
Mario Antonio Antunez-Sotelo (4).

SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1 18 U.S.C. § 371, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) (conspiracy to bring in illegal aliens for financial gain) Defendants: 1, 2, 3, 4 Maximum penalty: 5 years in custody; 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine.
Count 2 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii), (v)(I), and (B)(i) (conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens for financial gain) Defendants: 1, 4 Maximum penalty: 10 years in custody; 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine
Count 3 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1589, 1594 (forced labor conspiracy) Defendants: 1, 4 Maximum penalty: 5 years in custody; 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine

Counts 4-9 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (bringing in illegal aliens for financial gain, and aiding and abetting) Defendants: 1 (Counts 4-9), 2 (Counts 5,6), 3 (Counts 4-9), 4 (Counts 4-9) Minimum penalty: 3 years in custody (for one to two aliens), 5 years in custody (for three or more aliens) Maximum penalty: 10 years in custody (for one to two aliens), 15 years in custody (for three or more aliens); 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine

Counts 10-15 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii), (v)(II), and (B)(i) (harboring illegal aliens for financial gain) Defendants: 1 (Counts 10-15), 4 (Counts 10-15) Maximum penalty: 10 years in custody; 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine

Counts 16-19 18 U.S.C. §§ 1589, 1594, 2 (forced labor, attempted forced labor, and aiding and abetting) Defendants: 1 (Counts 16-19), 4 (Counts 16-19) Maximum penalty: 20 years in custody; 3 years of supervised release; $250,000 fine

AGENCY
Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

more...

For more information on federal criminal defense law, contact the Law Offices of Joseph Shemaria of Los Angeles, California.