A Texas woman has been charged with conspiring to transport, attempting to transport, and transporting two illegal alien minors in the United States for financial gain. This follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Laredo Office in coordination with the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector.
Jovanna Netzay Diaz, 31, from Dallas, is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver in Dallas. She will then appear in a federal court in Laredo shortly thereafter.
The charges stem from a federal grand jury's three-count indictment returned on February 19 and unsealed upon her arrest on February 27.
Court documents allege that on October 26, 2024, Diaz arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint in Laredo. During an initial inspection, authorities allegedly noticed a blanket moving between the second and third row of her vehicle. Law enforcement reportedly found one minor underneath the blanket and another concealed on the floorboard of the vehicle’s front passenger seat. The minors were allegedly determined to be nine-year-old twins from Mexico with no familial connection to Diaz.
If convicted, Diaz faces up to ten years in federal prison and a maximum possible fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Lopez from the Southern District of Texas is prosecuting the case.
It is important to note that an indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct and not evidence; a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process of law.
