A Mexican national has been handed over to U.S. custody, facing charges of human smuggling, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced recently. Osvaldo Coronel-Fernandez, known as "Omero," and a native of Ciudad Juarez, was extradited from Mexico City to El Paso, charged with aiding and abetting and conspiracy to encourage aliens to come to the United States for financial gain, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment against Coronel-Fernandez was issued by a federal grand jury in El Paso back on Nov. 20, 2019, according to court documents. The alleged offenses spanned from July 2015 to August 2016. Facing potentially a decade in federal prison for each of the two counts, his fate now lies in the hands of a federal district court judge who will take into account guidelines and statutory factors in determining a sentence.
Margaret Leachman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, has been tasked with bringing the announcement to light. This case has seen a collaborative effort involving Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Coronel-Fernandez's extradition was a joint effort between the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Mexican law enforcement authorities, who have earned gratitude from the U.S. for their role in the arrest and successful extradition.
