A 27-year-old man from Pharr, Texas, will spend eight years in federal prison for a human smuggling conspiracy that brought hundreds, and possibly thousands, of undocumented migrants into the country under dangerous conditions, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Anthony Lenard Williams pleaded guilty April 28, 2023, to conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos sentenced Williams to 96 months in federal prison, which will be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing, Ramos was told that while on bond, Williams continued to coordinate the smuggling of undocumented migrants.
Williams was found responsible for smuggling at least 560 undocumented migrants, but that number only includes those apprehended by authorities. The court was told the actual number is likely in the thousands.
The news release said that some of the loads had as many 115 people in the back of a tractor-trailer, sometimes including unaccompanied minors. In one attempt, migrants had to be treated for severe dehydration, officials said.
The investigation into the human smuggling operation using tractor-trailers began in summer 2021. During the investigation, law enforcement identified Miguel Angel Hernandez and Williams as coordinators.
Hernandez, 26, of Donna, previously was sentenced to nine years for his role in the organization. However, authorities believe he had a higher position of leadership than Williams, the news release said.
Williams, who previously was released on bond, was taken into custody after sentencing. He will remain held until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined later.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with help from the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara J. De Peña prosecuted the case.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
