Mexican Man Sentenced for Conspiracy and Transporting Illegal Aliens within the U.S.

Gulfport, Miss. – A Mexican man was sentenced to 54 months in prison for multiple federal felonies related to smuggling illegal aliens.

Abel Michua-Tototzin, 37, was sentenced on December 13, 2022, to 54 months in prison for conspiracy to bring aliens into the U.S. at a place other than a designated port of entry and conspiracy to unlawfully transport aliens within the U.S.  He was also sentenced to 54 months in prison for unlawful transportation of aliens within the U.S, and 24 months in prison for unlawful return of an alien to the U.S. after removal or deportation.  All three sentences will run concurrently for a total of 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. 

After completing his prison sentence, Michua-Tototzin is subject to Department of Homeland Security proceedings to remove him again from the United States.  If he were to unlawfully return after being removed, within his three-year period of supervised release, he would face additional penalties for violation of supervised release in addition to being subject to further felony prosecution.

Michua-Tototzin was previously found guilty of the three felony offenses following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel in Gulfport. 

On May 17, 2022, the Border Patrol stopped a vehicle driven by the Michua-Tototzin. He did not have a driver’s license and was found, along with his six passengers, to be illegally present in the U.S.  All seven aliens were transported to the Gulfport Border Patrol Station for processing, where Station Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations joined the case.  Michua-Tototzin and his passengers were processed using Homeland Security computer systems in which fingerprints are electronically scanned and matched to prior records.  Michua-Tototzin’s identity, as an alien who had returned to the U.S. after deportation or removal, was confirmed, and his six passengers were processed for removal from the U.S.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stan Harris and Kathlyn Van Buskirk prosecuted the case.