Mexican National Sentenced in Alien Smuggling Case that Resulted in a Death

McALLEN, Texas – A 32-year-old man from Mexico has been ordered to prison after knowingly transporting an illegal alien within the United States for private financial gain, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Victor Manuel Moreno-Ruiz pleaded guilty Sept. 2, 2015, further admitting that during the course of the illegal conduct, a female illegal alien died.

Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Moreno-Ruiz a 150-month sentence. At the hearing, additional evidence was presented including testimony from the case agent and the autopsy report. The agent testified that he had interviewed one of the undocumented aliens who was part of a group that Moreno-Ruiz was smuggling in August 2014. The undocumented alien reported that he witnessed a woman from the group fall off the bridge near the Pharr Port of Entry and land on the ground underneath. Unable to move due to her severe injuries, Moreno-Ruiz then ordered two other undocumented aliens to move the woman from the main road to a brushy area so as not to compromise the smuggling route. 

In handing down the sentence, Judge Alvarez noted that Moreno-Ruiz displayed a complete and callous disregard for the life of this woman.

At the time of his plea, Moreno-Ruiz admitted that on Aug. 4, 2014, he served as a foot guide responsible for smuggling a group of undocumented aliens into the United States. He instructed them how to walk along the side of the bridge and how to scale down from it at the Pharr Port of Entry. He further admitted that he left the injured woman behind and continued to smuggle the remaining members of the group.

The next day, law enforcement officers discovered the deceased body of the female victim. An autopsy revealed she had died as a result of blunt force trauma due to a fall.

Moreno-Ruiz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. As an illegal alien himself, Moreno-Ruiz is expected to face deportation proceedings following his release from prison.

The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance by Border Patrol, Pharr Police Department and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Alex Benavides are prosecuted the case.