Houston Police Officer and Wife Plead Guilty to Transporting Undocumented Aliens

In Del Rio today, a Houston police officer and his wife pleaded guilty to transporting undocumented aliens announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden and U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rodolfo Karisch. 

Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge Collis White, 51-year-old Juan Carrillo and 42-year-old Rosa Lidia Carrillo of Cypress, TX, pleaded guilty to one count of transporting undocumented aliens.  By pleading guilty, the Carrillos’ admitted that they were illegally transporting two undocumented aliens from Eagle Pass, TX, to Houston. 

According to court documents, on November 8, 2015, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Carrizo Springs station conducted an immigration inspection on a vehicle traveling on Highway 85 in Big Wells, TX.  The defendants were in the front seat and there were four passengers in the back seat.  Agents discovered that four of the occupants, including the defendants, were United States citizens.  Two occupants were determined to be illegally present in the United States.

Court documents also reflect that Rosa Carrillo had previously wired $1,500 to an unknown individual in order to have a family member smuggled into the United States.  The defendants, admittedly, had traveled that day to Eagle Pass to pick up the family member and his companion, another undocumented individual who was being harbored at the same location, and transport them to Houston.

Both defendants remain on bond pending sentencing. Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is scheduled for 9:00am on June 28, 2016 in Del Rio before Judge Moses.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Eagle Pass and the U.S. Border Patrol.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Watters and Todd Keagle.