Two Rapid City Men Indicted For Conspiracy To Defraud The United States And Harboring Aliens

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that two additional individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to harbor aliens, harboring aliens, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The alleged fraud is in connection with contracts entered into with the U.S. Forest Service. Nine individuals were previously indicted in relation to these offenses.

Raul D. Munoz, age 24, and Rogelio Escalante Jr., age 24, both of Rapid City, South Dakota were indicted on May 21, 2013. The defendants appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Simko on May 31, 2013 and pled not guilty to the charges. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.

The indictments are a result of a criminal investigative operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, SD Division of Criminal Investigation, Custer County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Department of Labor, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and Escalante and Munoz are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.