May 26, 2010
MEXICAN NATIONAL HELD FOR ILLEGALLY TRANSPORTING 12 ALIENS IN THE U.S.
DENVER – Isael Flores-Trinidad (aka Eledit Gonzalez-Hernandez or Rogelio Martinez-Leyva), age 21, a Mexican national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on May 19, 2010, on one count of transporting illegal aliens for financial gain and one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien, U.S. Attorney David Gaouette, ICE Office of Investigations Special Agent in Charge Kumar Kibble, and Colorado State Patrol Chief Col. James Wolfinbarger announced. Flores-Trinidad made his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on May 21, 2010, where he was advised of the charges pending against him. The defendant appeared in court this morning for a detention hearing, where he was ordered held without bond pending a resolution of his case.
According to publicly available reports, on May 12, 2010, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) made a routine traffic stop of a Ford Windstar van on I-70 near Clear Creek and in Jefferson County. The vehicle had 12 occupants in addition to the driver. The CSP Trooper was 287(g) certified, meaning he was trained and permitted to perform immigration law enforcement functions under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Thus, the Trooper was authorized to further investigate immigration violations. Ultimately the investigation revealed that the van had entered Colorado from Arizona. The van was traveling to other U.S. destinations, including Florida and Ohio.
According to the indictment, Flores-Trinidad knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that aliens had come to, entered, and remained in the United States in violation of law, did transport and move aliens within the United States by means of a motor vehicle, which transportation was done for the purpose of private financial gain. The indictment further alleges that the defendant was in the United States illegally, after being previously deported.
If convicted, Flores-Trinidad faces not more than 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine for transporting illegal aliens for financial gain. If convicted of unlawful re-entry of a deported alien, he faces not more than 2 years’ incarceration, and up to a $250,000 fine.
“Smuggling illegal aliens not only endangers the lives of those being smuggled, it also endangers other drivers sharing the road with the smuggler,” said U.S. Attorney David Gaouette.
“ICE’s 287(g) partnership with Colorado State Patrol has proven to be beneficial for ICE, CSP, and Colorado residents,” said Kumar Kibble, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. “Working together we can better intercept, arrest and pursue prosecution of alien smugglers who have no regard for human life. Their unsafe smuggling procedures endanger their human cargo, and everyone who travels on the same roads.”
“Overloaded vehicles present significant safety risks to everyone riding in vans like the one used in this incident,” said Col. James M. Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “This van was not designed for transporting so many passengers. Overloaded vans pose hazards to other drivers as well. The Colorado State Patrol is dedicated to preventing the kind of potentially tragic situations like this one presented to the motoring public.”
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Colorado State Patrol.
The defendant is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Canedy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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