Phoenix Man Sentenced to

     TUCSON, Ariz. – On January 14, 2020, Andrew Lamar Blake, 45, of Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 80 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Blake previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit Wherein the Aliens’ Lives Were Placed in Jeopardy and During Which Death Resulted.

     During an attempted traffic stop by the United States Border Patrol and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office on April 6, 2018, Blake sped away at a high rate of speed on the I-10 freeway. Blake was driving a truck containing eleven illegal aliens and two co-conspirators. Blake crashed during his flight from law enforcement, rolling the truck.  One victim was killed in the crash, and many others were injured.

     The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Border Patrol. The prosecution was handled by Christine A. Melton and Arturo A. Aguilar, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Tucson.