Orlando resident convicted in immigrant-smuggling ring

orlandosentinel.com
By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
5:26 p.m. EST, November 18, 2011


Rigoberto Bautista-Villanueva, 38, faces sentencing in February.

An Orlando resident accused of helping to funnel illegal immigrants throughout the country has been convicted by a federal jury, prosecutors said on Friday.

Rigoberto Bautista-Villanueva, 38, was found guilty of conspiring to transport 100 or more illegal aliens and two counts of personally transporting illegal aliens.

Investigators said Bautista-Villanueva was part of a Texas-based organization that transported illegal immigrants after they were smuggled into the country.

Bautista-Villanueva, a Honduran national and legal U.S. permanent resident, faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each charge for each immigrant smuggled.

He is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 13.

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