The United States Attorney’s Office announces that Francisco Ramirez-Espinosa, 29, a citizen of Mexico, appeared Friday in United States District Court in Burlington on a charge that he transported four illegal aliens within the United States. U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy ordered that Ramirez-Espinosa be temporarily detained.
According to the criminal complaint, on the evening of July 12, 2018, Agents from the Swanton Border Patrol Station encountered Ramirez-Espinosa driving a car with New Jersey license plates near the Highgate Springs Port of Entry. The four passengers in the vehicle and the defendant are citizens of Mexico who have no immigration status in the United States.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the complaint is merely an accusation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If convicted, the defendant faces up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
Ramirez-Espinosa is represented by David McColgin of the Office of the Federal Public Defender. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Abigail Averbach.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
