Jury returns guilty verdict in case involving smuggled Chinese national

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A federal jury sitting in Corpus Christi has convicted a 45-year-old Houston man for transporting an undocumented Chinese national, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick today.

The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before convicting Torrie Franklin following a one-day trial.

On Nov. 12, 2019, Franklin drove a blue four-door sedan into the primary inspection lane at the Border Patrol (BP) Checkpoint located near Falfurrias. Upon his arrival, authorities conducted a routine inspection, at which time a K-9 alerted to the trunk of the vehicle. There, they found an undocumented Chinese national.

At the time of his arrest, Franklin told authorities he had encountered the man at a gas station. Franklin claimed the Chinese national asked for a ride to Houston, despite not knowing any English. He also said the man asked to ride in the trunk as opposed to inside the vehicle.

At trial, the jury heard from the Chinese national who said that Franklin was the person who placed him inside the trunk. They also heard excerpts of Franklin’s phone calls in which he admitted his role in the offense.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that Franklin was merely a good Samaritan just providing a ride. They did not believe his claims and ultimately found him guilty as charged.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for May 7. At that time, Franklin faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.  

Franklin will remain in custody pending sentencing.

BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neel Kapur and Barbara DePena are prosecuting the case.