Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Transporting Aliens

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Luis Guajaca, age 36, and a citizen of Guatemala, pled guilty today to unlawfully transporting two Mexican citizens.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

Guajaca admitted that between February 6 and February 7, 2023, he drove from Illinois to near Ellenburg, New York, picked up two Mexican citizens who had recently illegally crossed the international border from Canada into the United States, and transported the two aliens before the vehicle was stopped. Guajaca admitted that he planned to drive the two Mexican citizens to Illinois, and expected to be paid for transporting them.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Guajaca faces up to 10 years in prison, a 3-year term of post-release supervision, and a fine up to $250,000.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. 

United States Border Patrol investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.