Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Misprision of Felony Regarding Unlawful Transportation of Aliens Within the United States

Gulfport, Miss. – Alfonso Tellez-Lopez, 40, an illegal alien from Mexico, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to misprision of a felony regarding his brother’s unlawful transportation of aliens within the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Jere T. Miles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector. 

Tellez-Lopez, who had been living in South Carolina, will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on August 22, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.  He faces a potential maximum penalty of 3 years in prison followed by one year of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine.  He will also be subject to immigration removal proceedings.  “Misprison of a felony” means that a person knew that a felony was being committed and did not report it to officials at the earliest opportunity and took some affirmative action to conceal the crime.

On May 2, 2019, Alfonso Tellez-Lopez’s brother, Javier Tellez-Lopez, pled guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully transport aliens within the United States, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2019 by Judge Guirola.  Javier Tellez-Lopez faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison followed by 3 years supervised release, a maximum $250,000 fine and $5,100 in special assessments. He will also be subject to immigration removal proceedings.

On January 28, 2019, an interdiction agent with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop on a GMC Yukon XL with South Carolina license plates around mile marker 62 on interstate I-10 eastbound in Jackson County. The agent observed eight occupants of the vehicle, which was being driven by Javier Tellez-Lopez.

Border Patrol Agents arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, and interviewed the occupants of the vehicle as to their citizenships, determining none had proper documents and all were illegally present in the United States. Of the eight total vehicle occupants (two drivers and six passengers), all were illegal aliens from Mexico. All occupants were arrested and transported to the Border Patrol Station in Gulfport. HSI and Border Patrol agents determined the six passengers were being smuggled within the United States. Further investigation determined that five of the six passengers had unlawfully returned after being formally removed from the United States. Each of these five passengers were separately prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, pled guilty and were convicted of the felony offense of illegal return by an alien after removal.    

U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Gautier Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.