Thread: TX: Conspiracy trial opens in drownings of immigrants

Conspiracy trial opens in drownings of immigrants
Associated Press
Sept. 28, 2009, 3:45PM

McALLEN — A man is in a South Texas federal court today to stand trial in an immigrant smuggling conspiracy that led to the drowning deaths of nine Central American immigrants.

The nine drowned in a South Texas canal in 2004. Jorge Hernandez Hernandez is charged for his alleged role in organizing the smuggling operation’s human stash houses.

Testimony began Monday in a McAllen courtroom, and Hernandez listened to accounts from lower-level scouts and drivers. Among them was a 17-year-old who took a wrong turn in the dark, plunging a carload of illegal immigrants into the canal.

Hernandez is charged with multiple counts of bringing in and harboring aliens.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chr ... 41439.html

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Trial starts in deadly immigrant smuggling case
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Sept. 28, 2009, 4:43PM

McALLEN, Texas — A man accused of running stash houses for illegal immigrants smuggled into Texas stood trial Monday for his role in the 2004 deaths of nine immigrants who drowned after the car they were being transported in plunged into a canal.

Jorge Hernandez Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of bringing in and harboring illegal immigrants. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death or life in prison, since immigrants died as a result of the illegal immigrant smuggling conspiracy.

Armando Campos, who drove the car that crashed, testified Monday that he had his lights off to avoid detection on the night of Aug. 9, 2004, and misjudged the turn for a bridge over a canal near the Rio Grande. The car plunged into the water upside down, trapping the immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador.

Campos testified that he had been working as a driver and scout for the smuggling operation for several weeks, shuttling immigrants to stash houses run by Hernandez on a daily basis. Campos spent several months in jail on state charges before they were dismissed in exchange for his willingness to testify against others higher up in the organization.

Jose Antonio Arispe Elizondo, another driver and scout working for the operation, testified that he would pick up loads of illegal immigrants after receiving a call from Hernandez or the man in charge of the Mexican side of the operation.

Arispe scouted the pick-up spot for Border Patrol before heading to a nearby store to wait for Campos to collect the immigrants. Campos had just relayed by phone that everything was fine before the line went dead. Arispe returned to the site and saw immigrants running away from the canal. Campos, who had escaped the car that sat submerged in the canal with only two wheels protruding from the dark water, ran to Arispe's car and they left without making any effort to rescue the immigrants. Arispe is serving an eight-year sentence for his role. He was sentenced along with two others in September 2007.

Border Patrol agents on horseback later found the car and pulled nine bodies from the canal.

Arispe testified that Hernandez paid him $75 per immigrant for transporting them to his safe houses in Edinburg. From there they were driven to Houston.

Hernandez's trial is scheduled to last three days.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6641589.html

Accused Texas immigrant smuggler pleads guilty
Posted Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2009


McALLEN — A man abruptly pleaded guilty Tuesday, the second day of his trial, to running stash houses for illegal immigrants, an operation that led to the 2004 deaths of nine immigrants who drowned after the car they were in plunged into a Texas canal.

Jorge Hernandez Hernandez, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants, prosecutors said late Tuesday. Hernandez was originally charged with 12 counts for his role in an illegal immigrant smuggling organization, but the remaining counts will likely be dropped at sentencing.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted his plea Tuesday and scheduled his sentencing for Dec. 15. Hernandez could face up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The plea came a day after Armando Campos, who was driving the vehicle when it crashed, testified that he had his lights off to avoid detection the night of Aug. 9, 2004.

He said he misjudged a turn for a bridge over a canal near the Rio Grande before the car plunged into the water upside down, trapping the immigrants from Central America.

http://www.star-telegram.com/texas/story/1645382.html