Thread: Brownsville woman faces fifth charge for transporting undocu

Brownsville woman faces fifth charge for transporting undocumented immigrants
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January 5, 2009 - 10:09 PM
BY EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO
The Brownsville Herald

Brownsville native Lupita Ortiz started the New Year with four strikes against her.

And for a fifth time, Ortiz faces charges stemming from the transport of undocumented immigrants.

The 25-year-old woman is being held without bond under custody of the U.S. Marshal's Service.

Ortiz pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle in federal court in Brownsville to transporting an undocumented immigrant in November 2008. As part of her plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, a second charge of inducing an undocumented immigrant to enter the United States was dismissed.

Ortiz's sentencing is slated for April 7.

Public records show that Ortiz has been in and out of federal courthouses in Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Laredo answering to human-trafficking cases since as early as 2000.

The federal court record, however, provides details only on cases relating to her from 2004 to the present.

Initially placed on probation, probated sentences dispensed against her also have been revoked several times. She has served roughly 10 months in federal jails.

The record also reflects that San Antonio has been the destination city in most of the cases.

In the present case, she was arrested after trying to smuggle one immigrant through the Gateway International Bridge. The complaint filed against her noted that Ortiz claimed she was to receive $300 for her efforts.

She also was arrested in October 2004 near Ben Bolt, Texas transporting four immigrants. She was to be paid $100 for each man.

Then came her arrest in November 2004 near George West. She was found with three immigrants and also claimed that she would be paid $100 for transporting each of them.

In that case, the immigrants waded into the United Stated via the Rio Grande near Hidalgo. A ‘coyote' guided the group around an U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.

The guide placed a hat on the side of the road and told the immigrants that someone would pick them up. Ortiz, after spotting the hat, picked the group up, the court record reflects.

Law enforcement officials again ran into Ortiz in November 2006 while she was transporting four immigrants near a levee close to Brownsville.

Tagle ordered that a pre-sentencing investigation report be conducted prior to sentencing.

www.brownsvilleherald.com

She has served roughly 10 months in federal jails.


This time, how about the courts try for "roughly 10 YEARS"?

How long are they going to continue to buy into her story that she's only being paid $100.00 per individual, an amount which, most likely, has something to do with the light punishment she's received so far

With her record, there has got to be some payoff she's receiving which makes the risk worth it and I'm guessing it's no $100.00.

Ten years isnt enough for stupidity like this.
if you dont learn about the 3rd or 4th time, you will never learn.
LIFE in prison

In the present case, she was arrested after trying to smuggle one immigrant through the Gateway International Bridge. The complaint filed against her noted that Ortiz claimed she was to receive $300 for her efforts.

Nice to see Americans citizens can still find work in our faltering economy (insert sarcasm).

She's making more than 100.00 a head. She's learned that the less you say you make the lower the punishment.

Slap her with a 50,000 fine and 20 years hard labor.

If you are mexican national and bring less than 500 pounds of drugs across the border they don't even bother with you, Same grade of grease as far as I can see, Smugglins is smuggling who cares what you were paid lock her up and deport

Can all Americans be given dual citizenship to Mexico to make our earning opportunity better here and in Mexico?