Two leaders of a South Texas human smuggling operation have been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Monday. Luis Enrique Moctezuma-Acosta, 37, and Scarlett Fuentes-Gavarrette, 34, both Mexican nationals and residents of Mission, Texas, will also likely face removal proceedings after serving their sentence for laundering over $2 million and smuggling nearly 2,500 undocumented migrants.
In March, the couple pleaded guilty to the charges, admitting to using their trucking business to facilitate the transport and to launder the proceeds amounting to $2.9 million. During their sentencing, the court listened to recordings of the undocumented individuals held against their will, as evidence of the inhumanity threaded through the duo’s enterprise. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani emphasized in a statement that the sentences "send a clear and powerful message" to those involved in such criminal activities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, alongside other agencies such as the Border Patrol and McAllen Police Department, unearthed a conspiracy stretching from Honduras to Massachusetts, focused heavily on Brazilian nationals. The investigation, which began in November 2019, also resulted in the seizure of over $1.5 million in cash and numerous luxury assets including vehicles and jewelry. The couple was found to be living a lavish and exploitative lifestyle off the vulnerability of those they referred to as "products," at times leaving them deserted without basic necessities.
A joint effort by multiple law enforcement agencies led to the takedown of the LEMA smuggling organization in what has been recognized as one of the district's largest alien smuggling take downs in recent history. As a part of the crackdown, authorities executed search warrants at the premises of Fuentes-Gavarrette and Moctezuma-Acosta, also unearthing a front car dealership in the process. "This case started as a money laundering investigation at a business. FBI agents did a phenomenal job following the evidence to uncover a much larger conspiracy involving human smuggling," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp in a statement.
The coordinated response involved task force officers from various units, including Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Insurance. Prosecution of the case was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric D. Flores, with assistance from Tyler Foster on forfeiture proceedings. For more detailed information on this case, you can visit the U.S. Department of Justice's official website.
