Two
Guatemalan men were sentenced by a federal judge Monday, January 14, 2013, to
lengthy prison terms for their roles in a hostage-taking conspiracy that
resulted in the violent treatment of smuggled aliens held captive in a Mesa drop house.
Domingo
Agustin-Simon, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to 42
years in federal prison for conspiracy, hostage taking and brandishing a
shotgun in connection with hostage taking. Leonardo Rabanales-Casia, 30, was
sentenced at the same hearing to 25 years in prison for conspiracy and hostage
taking.
The
sentences follow the pair's October conviction by a federal jury on charges
stemming from a probe led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
"These
lengthy sentences serve not only to punish and deter such cruel and inhumane
activity but also to protect the public from dangerous individuals that prey
upon the vulnerabilities of their victims," said U.S. Attorney John S.
Leonardo.
"This
case illustrates the ruthlessness and brutality of the human smuggling
trade," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona. "The
smugglers treated the people in the drop house as a mere business commodity,
with no qualms about jeopardizing their lives in order to extort personal
profit. Investigating these cases is a top priority for HSI, and we will
continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring those who would
choose to exploit people in this despicable way to justice."
Evidence
presented at trial showed the defendants were part of an alien that smuggled
aliens into the U.S. to a
drop house in Mesa.
In August 2011, HSI special agents and officers from the Arizona Department of
Public Safety and the Phoenix Police Department went to the drop house and
found more than 40 illegal aliens being held inside. Trial testimony revealed
the smugglers used a shotgun to keep order in the house and threatened the
aliens with physical harm and death in an effort to extort monetary payments
from the aliens' families. One hostage was beaten by the smugglers and women in
the drop house were sexually assaulted.
Four
other co-defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in
the drop house and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 24 months to
eight years.
The
case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Keller and Sean K.
Lokey of the U.S. Attorney's Office-District of Arizona.
A
Guatemalan national, with dual citizenship in Mexico,
was removed from the United
States Wednesday, December 19, 2012, by
officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Orlando
Escobar-Leon, aka Eduardo Morales Esquivel, 42, was a leader in a multinational
alien smuggling network that was responsible for smuggling East African and
Bangladeshi nationals from Colombia
into Central America, and eventually, the United States. Due to the
high-profile nature of his crimes, officers with ICE's Enforcement and Removal
Operations (ERO) turned him over to Guatemalan law enforcement authorities upon
his arrival in Guatemala City,
Guatemala.
Between
March 2008 and August 2009, Escobar-Leon and 12 co-conspirators facilitated the
smuggling of more than 100 unauthorized illegal aliens into the United States.
In return for his services, Escobar-Leon received between $350 and $1,500 per
individual.
"This
individual completely disregarded the value of human lives," said acting
ERO Atlanta Field Office Director David Rivera. "He manipulated the
immigration systems of multiple countries, solely to benefit his bottom
line."
In
January 2010, Escobar-Leon was charged in the United
States via criminal complaint with conspiracy to
encourage and induce unauthorized aliens to come, enter and reside in the United States.
In March 2010, Mexican law enforcement authorities arrested him in coordination
with special agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Mexico City. He was
subsequently extradited to the United States
where he was arrested and charged for harboring aliens and conspiracy to
defraud the U.S.
government. He pleaded guilty to those charges and was sentenced to 37 months
in federal prison in March.
Based on the fact that Escobar-Leon was only
extradited to the United States
to face charges, he did not have legal immigration status to remain in the United States.
Upon his release from prison, he was transferred to ICE custody and processed
as an expedited removal. He was detained at the Stewart
Detention Center
in Lumpkin, Ga.,
before ERO officers removed him back to Guatemala
City.
Two Guatemalan men accused of multiple human smuggling and hostage-taking charges were convicted Thursday, October 11, 2012, by a federal jury, following an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Domingo Agustin-Simon, 31, and Leonardo Rabanales-Casia, 30, were both convicted of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, hostage taking, bringing in illegal aliens for profit, and harboring illegal aliens for profit. Both defendants remain in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for Jan. 14, 2013. The men face maximum penalties of life in prison, $250,000 fine, or both.
Evidence presented at trial showed the defendants were part of an alien smuggling ring that smuggled aliens into the U.S. to a drop house in Mesa. In August 2011, HSI special agents responded to the drop house and found more than 40 illegal aliens being held inside.
Trial testimony revealed the smugglers used a shotgun to keep order in the house and threatened the aliens with physical harm and death in an effort to extort monetary payments from the aliens’ families. One hostage was beaten by the smugglers and women in the drop house were sexually assaulted.
HSI was assisted in the investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Phoenix Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine D. Keller and Sean K. Lokey of the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
