Couple from Honduras and El Salvador Indicted for Transporting Nine Illegal Aliens

LAKE CHARLES, La. – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Julio Francisco Lindo, 30, of Honduras, and Maria Yajaira Urias-Cordova, 26, of El Salvador, both illegally present in the United States, charging them with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and nine counts of illegal alien transportation, announced David C. Joseph, United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.

According to the indictment, on January 14, 2020, Border Patrol agents conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle traveling east on Interstate 10 in Lake Charles. Julio Lindo, the driver of the vehicle, and Maria Urias-Cordova, a passenger in the vehicle, were transporting nine individuals that they knew to be illegally present in the United States: five from Guatemala, three from Mexico, and one from El Salvador. Agents located five of the nine individuals piled on top of each other in the rear cargo area of the Honda Pilot, and four individuals in the back passenger seat, one of whom was an unaccompanied minor, lying on the floor face up underneath another’s feet.

If convicted, Julio Francisco Lindo and Maria Yajaira Urias-Cordova both face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The year 2020 marks the 150^th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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