Maverick County Man Sentenced for Federal Violations in East Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas - A 23-year-old Eagle Pass, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Raul Alfonso Moreno-Bres pleaded guilty on Jan. 25, 2017, to interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprise and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark.

According to information presented in court, on Oct. 12, 2016, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling westbound on Interstate-10 in Orange County near mile marker 873. During the traffic stop, deputies learned the vehicle was owned by a passenger, Moreno Bres. Moreno Bres said he was a college student and that he had been in Atlanta on vacation. Moreno Bres gave consent to search the vehicle, during which deputies located $121,903 in currency. Afterwards, Moreno Bres said he had gone to Atlanta on orders from an unspecified Mexican drug cartel to pick up the money and deliver it to Mexico and that he knew the money was proceeds of unlawful activity.

This case was investigated by the DHS/HSI/ICE and Orange County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Rapp.