U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
A 26-year-old man from Edinburg, Texas, has been found guilty of unlawfully transporting undocumented individuals. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani following the jury's decision.
The trial lasted less than two days, and the jury took an hour and a half to reach a verdict against Lisandro Vasquez-Gomez. The incident occurred on August 29, 2024, when Vasquez-Gomez drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint claiming he was hauling an empty trailer to Houston. He denied having passengers in his vehicle. However, a K-9 unit alerted authorities to the cab of the tractor where five undocumented individuals were discovered hidden behind the driver.
During the trial, testimonies were heard from some of those being transported. They recounted that smugglers had taken them to a remote location where they boarded a tractor-trailer without seeing the driver before it started moving.
The defense argued that law enforcement did not thoroughly investigate and suggested that Vasquez-Gomez was unknowingly involved in a decoy smuggling operation. The jury rejected these claims and convicted him on all three counts.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos oversaw the trial and scheduled sentencing for April 8. Vasquez-Gomez could face up to five years in federal prison but remains free on bond until then.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman, Ashley A. Pruitt, and Liesel Roscher prosecuting the case.
