Thread: CA: Smuggler Sentenced To Five Years In Prison

Smuggler Sentenced To Five Years In Prison

Defendant Had 42 Prior Apprehensions

POSTED: 11:45 am PDT March 19, 2007
UPDATED: 11:57 am PDT March 19, 2007

SAN DIEGO -- An immigrant smuggler was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in federal prison for leading a group of illegal aliens across the border and loading them into a van that overturned, killing two women.

Carlos Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 46, pleaded guilty last Oct. 3 to five counts, including alien smuggling for financial gain and alien smuggling resulting in death.

Defense attorney David Zugman unsuccessfully sought a 36-month prison term, arguing that Rodriguez-Gonzales wasn't the one who flipped the van that killed the victims.

Rodriguez-Gonzalez should have gotten a much lighter sentence than the driver of the van, Marcos Olguin, who received a six-year prison term, Zugman argued.

But U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes said the defendant's 42 prior apprehensions by immigration officials, including the use of at least three dozen identities and 28 dates of birth, was a significant factor in handing down the 57-month sentence.

The judge reminded Zugman that two women, including one who was pregnant, died in the March 8, 2006, crash near Honey Springs Road and state Route 94, between Dulzura and Jamul.

"Your client bears some responsibility for that," the judge told the defense attorney.

Authorities said Olguin had 20 passengers in the van when it crashed in light rain.

Olguin told authorities that he was to be paid between $3,000 and $4,000 to drive the van from the mountains east of San Diego to Oceanside.

http://www.10news.com/news/11296923/detail.html

But U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes said the defendant's 42 prior apprehensions by immigration officials, including the use of at least three dozen identities and 28 dates of birth, was a significant factor in handing down the 57-month sentence.

42 prior apprehensions and only after this case, when a couple of illegal aliens got killed does the U.S. Attorneys office in San Diego decide to prosecute. This is the legacy of the recently fired and now infamous Capitol Hill whiner, Carol Lam. This is the same U.S. Attorney Lam who prosecuted only 4% of all illegal alien smugglers busted in her district in 2004. That's right, Lam refused to prosecute 96% of all alien smugglers caught in the San Diego region.

No wonder this lowlife smuggler kept on breaking the law, he was nabbed 42 previous times, but the useless Lam never prosecuted his repeated violations of our Federal laws and sovereignty. How many thousands of illegal alien thugs, criminals, rapists and murderers roam our streets thanks to her repeated refusal to prosecute these scum. How many innocent Amerians have been raped, robbed or murdered by the illegals he had successfully smuggled into our country. I wonder if no one had died during the crash would Lam have let him go yet again for the 43rd time.

Whatever happened to the three strikes law? Or doesn't that apply to illegal smugglers?

This is such an outrage...42 previous apprehensions? This guy gets a measly 5 years? He obviously never should have been free to continue doing this activity.

And the law has the nerve and the gall to charge us $200 for a traffic infraction.

Recent stories here have been how someone caught with 500 lbs of pot at the border is set free while the guy carrying an ounce pays the price.

It's nice to know repeat smugglers get five years while the cops who catch them get 12.

Originally Posted by had_enuf

Whatever happened to the three strikes law? Or doesn't that apply to illegal smugglers?

The three strikes law only applies to convictions. He had no convictions because he was never even charged by Lam.

Originally Posted by Tom2

It's nice to know repeat smugglers get five years while the cops who catch them get 12.

Great point!