December 7, 2007

MASSACHUSETTS MAN CHARGED WITH HARBORING
ILLEGAL ALIENS

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on December 6, 2007, a grand jury sitting in Rutland, Vermont returned a one-count indictment charging Mervin Gonzalez, 34, of Lynn, Massachusetts with Harboring Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No arraignment date has been set.

The indictment alleges that, on August 16, 2007, the defendant transported illegal aliens within the District of Vermont for private financial gain. The defendant was arrested in November after being charged in a criminal complaint with Harboring Illegal Aliens.

According to Court records, the defendant is alleged to have helped to transport four Brazilian citizens, who were in the United States illegally, to the Canadian border for the purpose of smuggling them into Canada. One of the aliens allegedly paid him $400. After arriving near the border at approximately 10:30 p.m., the defendant attempted to contact the Canadian smuggler, who was supposed to guide the aliens into Canada. The defendant and the aliens were stopped by the United States Border Patrol before they could make contact with the Canadian smuggler, however. When they were stopped, the defendant allegedly told the aliens to tell law enforcement that they were sightseeing. The defendant has been detained since his arrest in November.

United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson cautioned that an indictment is only a method of bringing charges and is not proof of guilt. He noted that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. United States Attorney Anderson thanked the United States Border Patrol, who investigated the case. Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth Mann is representing the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth C. Woodcock has been assigned to prosecute the case for the United States.