Former THP Sergeant Paid $8,000 To Smuggle Woman Into The U.S.
Ronald Edward Strickland, 70, of Franklin, Tenn., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court, to transporting an illegal alien, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith of the Middle District of Tennessee.
Strickland, a retired Tennessee Highway Patrol sergeant, was arrested on a criminal complaint on Aug. 1, 2016, and indicted on Aug. 31, 2016.
According to court documents, in early 2016, Strickland devised a plan to smuggle a 22- year-old female from Honduras into the United States. Strickland texted the woman on January 7, 2016, about uniting with him and engaging in a sexual relationship. Strickland then began a series of text communications with an individual in Honduras and others, in which he discussed smuggling the woman into the Unites States. Strickland maintained the text communications, monitoring the progress of the woman’s journey, until he was notified that the woman had arrived in Houston, Texas.
In July 2016, Strickland drove to Houston, Texas, where he picked up the woman and drove her to his home in Franklin, Tenn.
Acting on a tip, on July 22, 2016, HSI agents went to Strickland’s Franklin home, where they located the 22-year-old female. The subsequent investigation determined that the woman had been illegally smuggled into the United States and that Strickland had paid a coyote $8,000 to smuggle her from Honduras to the United States. The investigation also determined that Strickland maintained an apartment in Honduras and travelled there on a regular basis.
Strickland faces up to 5 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 17, 2017.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Leventis and Lynne T. Ingram.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
