Police briefs: Woman pleads guilty to smuggling husband in the trunk of car
Comments 1
November 20, 2009 8:24 PM
By ILDEFONSO ORTIZ, The Brownsville Herald



A woman accused of trying to smuggle her common-law husband into the U.S. by hiding him in the trunk of her car has pleaded guilty to the charge of alien smuggling.

Lashonda Dawn Martinez was arrested Monday afternoon at Veteran’s International Bridge by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, court records show. Martinez’s age and place of residence could not be determined Friday evening.

On Friday morning Martinez pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio. She was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending her sentencing.

The arrest took place when CBP officers checking the trunk of the vehicle discovered her common-law husband, Juan Gabriel Morales Nino, hiding under heavy clothing and a black tarp, records show. The criminal complaint didn’t specify the make or model of the vehicle.

Once in custody, Martinez told CBP officers that she knew she was smuggling an undocumented immigrant, but she didn’t do it for monetary gain, but because of her relationship with the man, records show.

www.brownsvilleherald.com