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Press Release

Laredo Judge Sends Michigan Man to Prison for Transporting Illegal Aliens

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas

LAREDO, Texas – A 61-year-old Michigan man has been sentenced in Laredo federal court after he was caught attempting to smuggle 10 illegal aliens in the back of a Penske rental truck, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. A jury convicted George Lester Stewart, of Wheeler, Michigan, June 22, 2016, following only an hour of deliberation.

 

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Stewart to prison for 71 months to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Marmolejo noted Stewart’s extensive criminal history and the dangerous manner in which he was transporting the illegal aliens.

 

At trial, the jury heard that on April 5, 2016, Stewart pulled up to the primary inspection lane at the checkpoint near Freer in a yellow Penske rental truck. A Border Patrol agent noticed Stewart seemed nervous when he claimed the truck was empty. He also stated that he had picked the truck up in Laredo and was driving it for Penske to drop off in Corpus Christi.

 

Authorities conducted an x-ray examination of the truck which revealed 10 individuals concealed in the cargo area of the padlocked truck. The aliens had been locked there for several hours with outside temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees. Stewart did not have a key to unlock the padlock.

 

The jury heard that Stewart first admitted he had been paid to drive a moving truck from McAllen to Houston, that he provided a false address when renting the truck and that he was told to provide false information to Border Patrol. During trial, however, Stewart claimed he had accepted a job offer to transport furniture from McAllen to Houston. He denied knowledge of the aliens in the back of the truck as well as having any involvement in the transportation of undocumented aliens.

 

The jury was not convinced and found him guilty as charged – one count of conspiracy to transport aliens for financial gain and two counts of transporting illegal aliens.

 

Stewart will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Howard and Jorge Vela prosecuted the case.

Updated April 26, 2017

Topic
Human Smuggling