LAREDO, TEXAS – A 54-year-old resident of Fort Meade, Florida, has pleaded guilty in Laredo federal court to conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Joseph Winslow entered a guilty plea today, admitting he had agreed to drive a tractor-trailer from Laredo to San Antonio in return for $10,000.
On Dec. 30, 2020, Winslow arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 approximately 29 miles north of Laredo. Authorities conducted an X-ray of the trailer he was driving and discovered it was full of people. They ultimately identified a total of 149 undocumented aliens.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing June 15. At that time, Winslow faces up to 10 years in prison.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Fawcett is prosecuting the case.