West Palm Beach Man Sentenced For Illegally Transporting Undocumented Aliens

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Yohany Hernandez-Hernandez (38, West Palm Beach) to three years in federal prison for illegally transporting undocumented aliens. A federal jury found him guilty in March 2016.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 7, 2015, Hernandez-Hernandez was stopped by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for committing a traffic infraction on I-75. During the traffic stop, the deputies became aware that he was transporting six undocumented aliens. Law enforcement later learned that Hernandez-Hernandez and the undocumented aliens had travelled from a safe house in Houston, Texas to Lee County. They had driven for approximately 22 hours, with limited stops, in an attempt to avoid being detected by immigration officials. The investigation further revealed that two other undocumented aliens had previously been dropped off in other parts of Florida. The aliens had been transported to further their stay in the United States and for Hernandez-Hernandez’s financial gain.

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Baggé-Hernández.