Alamdar Hamdani U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Honduran national, Marvin Reyes, aged 39, has been sentenced to federal prison for his involvement in transporting illegal aliens. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei in Corpus Christi, Texas. Reyes, who resided illegally in Houston, pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David Morales sentenced Reyes to 108 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, it was revealed that the smuggling conspiracy spanned over three years and involved more than 200 individuals being transported. The court highlighted the potential harm caused by Reyes' actions and held him accountable as the leader of the operation. Additionally, a $1 million money judgment was imposed due to the financial gains from his criminal activities.
"Thanks to the teamwork of our office’s Corpus Christi prosecutors and their law enforcement partners, the leader of an alien smuggling ring has been put out of action," stated Ganjei. "Successful interdiction of illegal alien smuggling at the border or at interior checkpoints benefits the nation as a whole. The Southern District of Texas is proud to do its part to support a secure border."
The investigation began in July 2021 when authorities discovered a human smuggling organization led by Reyes operating out of Houston. It was found that Reyes coordinated efforts to move illegal aliens through Border Patrol checkpoints near Sarita and Falfurrias and also arranged private flights from Weslaco to Houston.
Bank records indicated that Reyes accumulated at least $1 million from these activities. He will remain in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and Tyler Foster handled the prosecution.
