The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that two persons have been sentenced for their respective roles in the smuggling and transporting of fourteen illegal aliens who traveled on foot from Quebec to Derby, Vermont in October 2017. The two defendants are Alberto Alvarado-Castro, 30, a Mexican citizen, and Hector Perez-Alvarado, 26, a Honduras citizen. Pursuant to plea agreements reached between the Government and the defendants, United States District Court Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Alvarado-Castro to three years imprisonment and Perez-Alvarado to time-served, which amounted to about one-year imprisonment.
Alberto Alvarado-Castro previously pled guilty to smuggling aliens for financial gain, which carries a three-year mandatory minimum sentence and a ten-year maximum sentence. Hector Perez-Alvarado pled guilty to transporting aliens for financial gain, which carries a ten-year maximum sentence.
According to the complaint affidavit and the statements made at the recent hearings, late in the evening of October 7, 2017, Alberto Alvarado-Castro guided the fourteen aliens through the woods on the border to a van parked in Derby, which was driven by Hector Perez-Alvarado. In multiple trips, Perez-Alvardo drove the aliens to a motel in Derby, where, on the last trip, they were all apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol. Eleven of the smuggled illegal aliens were Guatemala citizens and three were Mexican citizens.
According to the Government’s sentencing memorandum, both defendants were lower-level couriers in the smuggling operation, but Alvarado-Castro was the leader between the two. In addition, Alvarado-Castro had a significant criminal record, including multiple illegal entries into the United States and burglary convictions. The Government’s sentencing memorandum stated that Alvarado-Castro’s “typical pattern was to illegally enter the United States, commit felony property crimes shortly after re-entry, get convicted of the felonies, be removed from the United States, and then repeat the cycle." The Government stated that the higher sentence for Alvarado-Castro was justified in light of his significant criminal record and his leadership role in the offense.
This matter was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations. “This case is an excellent example of the dedication and hard work put forth by Border Patrol agents to keep our country and communities safe," said U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia. “Our agents did an outstanding job thwarting this smuggling attempt."
U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan commended the Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations for interdicting this significant smuggling event, one of the largest in recent memory. She added: “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in the U.S. and Canada to uphold the integrity our northern border and dismantle criminal organizations that operate on both sides of the boundary."
The Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting this matter is Joe Perella. Elizabeth Quinn, Esq., of the Federal Public Defender’s Office represents Perez-Alvarado. David Watts, Esq., of Burlington represents Alvarado-Castro. Robert Sussman, Esq., of Burlington represents Perez-Ramirez.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
