BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) – A Mexican man living in the U.S. illegally has pleaded guilty to helping other immigrants be smuggled by American soldiers through a border checkpoint in Texas.
Federal prosecutors say 51-year-old Victoriano Zamora-Jasso pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to transport and harbor immigrants and illegal re-entry after deportation.
The 2014 case involved four soldiers at Fort Hood, in Central Texas, being paid at least $1,200 per smuggled immigrant.
The soldiers showed Army identification and hid immigrants under military gear while driving through the Sarita checkpoint.
The soldiers were convicted and sentenced to penalties ranging from probation to 20 months in prison.
Zamora-Jasso was deported in 2013, then lived in Houston after slipping back into Texas. He was indicted in 2016 and is facing up to 10 years in prison.
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