ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Thomas Wabnum, 70, of Albuquerque, and a member of the Potawatomi Tribe (Kansas), made his initial appearance today in federal court on an indictment of aggravated sexual abuse in Indian Country.

According to the indictment, on July 6, 2019, Wabnum allegedly engaged in a sexual act with the victim, who was incapacitated at the time, by using force. The alleged incident occurred on the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Wabnum faces up to life in prison.

The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison C. Jaros is prosecuting the case.

LAREDO, Texas – A 20-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced after he admitted to conspiring to transport aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Luis Alberto Puente pleaded guilty Jan. 10, admitting he acted as a scout for a tanker truck loaded with 23 aliens.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Puente to serve a 51-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted his other criminal behavior while he was previously out on bond.

On Sept. 13, 2019, a tanker truck arrived at the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint on Texas State Highway 359 near Bruni. At that time, a K-9 had alerted to the presence of concealed humans and/or narcotics. Authorities directed the driver to the secondary inspection area.

Instead of complying, he accelerated at a high rate of speed and fled the checkpoint. Authorities pursued him until he came to a stop on the side of the road and absconded into the brush.

During the pursuit, a blue Ford F-150 arrived at the checkpoint. Puente was the passenger in that vehicle. He ultimately admitted to acting as a scout for the tanker truck, looking out for law enforcement as the truck drove to San Antonio.

Law enforcement unlocked the hatch to the tank of the truck, releasing hot steam. They then recovered 23 people who had been standing in approximately two feet of water and sweating profusely. They asked for help and for fresh air.

All were determined to be in the United States illegally from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador and Honduras. They had paid to be smuggled into the country. Several described the fear they felt while riding in the tanker. One stated she was forced into the tanker against her will.

Puente has been in custody since violating his conditions of release where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

­Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bukiewicz prosecuted the case.

LAREDO, Texas – A 33-year-old resident of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to import and importing more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Ruben Maldonado-Espino pleaded guilty July 7.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia-Marmolejo handed Maldonado-Espino a 36-month term of imprisonment. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony about his false claims of coercion. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that falsely claiming your family is being threatened hurts others – those that actually do have that happen. More who falsely claim the cartel is threatening them could cause authorities to be less inclined to believe them.

“While some may mistakenly view smuggling controlled substances as a path to a quick profit, the sentencing of Maldonado-Espino demonstrates the serious consequences for those who engage in criminal activity,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities and bring drug smugglers to justice.”

On May 7, Maldonado-Espino drove a semi-truck and trailer through the World Trade Bridge near Laredo. Authorities conducted an X-ray examination of the vehicle which revealed anomalies in the trailer.

Law enforcement began to open the doors, at which time Maldonado-Espino admitted he knew drugs were in the trailer. He claimed a Mexican drug cartel was holding his wife hostage and forced him to smuggle the narcotics.

However, authorities contacted his wife who appeared to be calm and not under distress. Maldonado-Espino eventually admitted the story was a lie he was told to give to law enforcement.

Law enforcement ultimately found 198 bundles of marijuana inside the trailer. They had an approximate weight of 4,601 pounds and an estimated street value of $875,000.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Harrison prosecuted the case.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A Corpus Christi federal jury has convicted a legal permanent resident who resided in Houston for transporting illegal aliens in a vehicle disguised as a FedEx truck, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick

The jury deliberated for six hours before convicting Yoel Marrero-Goitizolo, 42, following a one-day trial.

On Feb. 3, Marrero-Goitizolo arrived at the Border Patrol Checkpoint near Sarita. He was driving a vehicle that appeared to be a FedEx Ground truck. However, authorities noticed the vehicle seemed to be unevenly painted. The jury also heard that a K-9 also had alerted to the vehicle. Law enforcement then referred Marrero-Goitizolo to the secondary area for further inspection.

Authorities subsequently discovered 12 aliens who were citizens and nationals of Honduras, Brazil, Mexico, El Salvador and People’s Republic of China – all illegally present in the United States. Testimony revealed they had been hiding in the truck’s cargo area.

The jury also heard that Marrero-Goitizolo was wearing a FedEx polo shirt. However, testimony revealed Marrero-Goitizolo had never worked for the company and that the truck did not belong to FedEx.

Marrero-Goitizolo attempted to convince the jury that he did not knowingly transport the aliens. They did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton presided over the trial and set sentencing for Feb. 9, 2021. At that time, he faces up to five-years imprisonment. The charge also carry a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Previously released on bond, Marrero-Goitizolo was taken into custody following the conviction today where he will remain pending sentencing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yifei Zheng is prosecuting the case.

BROWNSVILLE, TX  – A 60-year-old resident of Brownsville has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of failure to register as a sex offender as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Albert Frank Garza pleaded guilty Sept. 2.

Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera ordered Garza to serve 24 months in federal prison. He was further ordered to serve two years on supervised released following completion of his prison term, during which he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also again have to register as a sex offender.

Garza is a twice-convicted sex offender. He was convicted of first degree sexual abuse with a child under the age of 12 in 1980 and again just three years later for indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14. He received respective sentences of 48 months and 10 years in prison.

As a sex offender, he is required under SORNA to register as a sex offender every year. If he relocates, he is required to register in the new jurisdiction within three days after arrival.

Previously residing in Colorado, he had registered as a sex offender until May 30, 2014. At that time, he signed and dated an annual form acknowledging a follow-up date of June 1, 2015. However, he failed to register in 2015 as required.

In fact, he never registered as a sex offender again, and his whereabouts were unknown until 2019.

On Sep. 24, 2019, local authorities arrested Garza for failure to identify and possession of a controlled substance. At the time of his arrest, Garza used the fictitious name of Martin Infante Garcia and indicated he was homeless. A street outreach advocate at a local homeless shelter recognized his photo and identified him as someone who visited the shelter daily for breakfast from April 2019 through June 2019.

Although Garza resided in Texas from at least April 2019 until the date of his arrest in September, he failed to register within the required three days of his arrival.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikki Piquette prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON, TX – A total of eight people have been taken into custody on charges involving a five-year drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Federal authorities arrested Houston residents Brenda Natalie Alanis Duran, 36, Maria Isabel Lara Alanis, 52, Ramiro Alanis Espitia aka “Pelon,” 41, Luis Ricardo Rocha, 36, Oraldo Lozano Zamarripa, 35, Xavier Duran, 49, Manuel Desiderio Nandin, 22, and Domingo Daniel Nandin, 27. They made their initial appearances today. They are scheduled for detention hearings Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Sam S. Sheldon. The indictment remains sealed as to those charged but not as yet in custody.

During the arrests, authorities also seized $600,155 and one firearm at Xavier Duran’s residence. They also found and seized another firearm as well as a stolen trailer from the residence of Maria Isabel Alanis.

A federal grand jury in Houston returned the eight-count indictment Oct. 29. According to the charges, the drug trafficking and money laundering organization distributed more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, over one kilogram of heroin and over 100 kilograms of marijuana. The group also allegedly laundered more than $133,000 in drug proceeds.

All are charged in varying counts. Those convicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. The other varying drug charges carry a minimum of five and up to 40 years in prison, while conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a potential 20-year-sentence.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Houston Police Department.

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation is dubbed “Walking Eagle.”

This Operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations.

The specific mission of the Houston Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that designated Consolidated Priority Organization or Regional Priority Organization Targets head with their affiliates and that impact Houston and south Texas.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz and Casey N. MacDonald are prosecuting the case.