CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 62-year-old man pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle two Iranian citizens into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Gholamreza Hosseinpour, Fairfax, Virginia, pleaded guilty to two counts of transporting illegal aliens within the United States.
As part of his plea, he admitted that on Dec. 19, 2021, he flew from his home state to Texas. He rented a vehicle in San Antonio and drove to McAllen to pick up two individuals that had crossed into the United States from Mexico. Hosseinpour then drove them north to the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located near Sarita.
There, law enforcement conducted an initial inspection, at which time the two individuals could not answer questions about their citizenship. Authorities ultimately determined each individual was from Iran and illegally present in the United States.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales will impose sentencing June 9. At that time, Hosseinpour faces up to five years of imprisonment and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Robinson and Molly Smith are prosecuting the case.