Nikolas Kerest U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney's Office announced charges against three foreign nationals for immigration offenses. Saul Mazariegos-Estrada, 29, from El Tejar, Guatemala, faces charges for the illegal transportation of aliens. Byron Sicajau Socoy, 40, also from El Tejar, and Christian Rafael Hernandez Villa, 34, from Jalisco, Mexico, are charged with eluding examination or inspection by immigration officers.
On January 27, 2025, the defendants appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered Mazariegos-Estrada to be detained pending a detention hearing. Sicajau Socoy and Hernandez Villa pleaded guilty at their initial appearances and received time-served sentences. They had faced up to six months' imprisonment.
Court records indicate that on January 25, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents were alerted by a citizen about multiple individuals crossing a dirt road near Newport, Vermont. Agents found footprints in the snow and later observed a vehicle speeding with Virginia plates. The vehicle contained several individuals in the back seat and foggy windows were noted by agents as indicators of human smuggling.
The agents stopped the vehicle and found Mazariegos-Estrada in the front seat who admitted he lacked proper immigration documents. Sicajau Socoy and Hernandez Villa were in the rear seat and confessed to entering the United States illegally without documentation.
All three individuals were taken into custody and transported to a Border Patrol Station.
The United States Attorney’s Office highlighted that a criminal complaint contains only allegations and that Mazariegos-Estrada is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, he could face up to five years' imprisonment; however, sentencing would be determined by the District Court based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher praised the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Andrew C. Gilman are prosecuting the case. Emily Kenyon represents Mazariegos-Estrada as an Assistant Federal Public Defender while Jason J. Sawyer represented Sicajau Socoy and Kevin M. Henry represented Hernandez Villa.
