Mexican man pleads guilty to transporting illegal immigrants

9:15 PM

By Molly Montag
mmontag@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Tuesday, November 25, 2008

SIOUX CITY -- Authorities say a Mexican man who has been deported or forced to leave the country 12 times has pleaded guilty to transporting illegal immigrants in Woodbury County.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that Jose Rosalio Trujillo-Perez, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of illegal immigrants. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

According to court documents, an Iowa State trooper stopped Trujillo-Perez on Nov. 5 for a traffic violation on southbound Interstate 29 in Woodbury County.

The trooper contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials when Trujillo-Perez and all five passengers presented Mexican travel documents.

According to court documents, an investigation found that Trujillo-Perez had entered the country illegally on Oct. 25 in southeast Arizona. He agreed to drive 11 illegal immigrants from Phoenix to Sioux Center, Iowa, and Pennsylvania to erase a $1,500 debt to a human smuggler.

Trujillo-Perez already had dropped off some of the people in Sioux Center and was on his way to Pennsylvania when he was arrested, according to court documents.

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/article ... 11aefa.txt