Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Brownsville man has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for unlawfully transporting an illegal alien. The U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the sentencing of 36-year-old Juan Andres Vasquez, who was found guilty by a federal jury on November 6, 2024, after a one-day trial.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales handed down the sentence and included an additional three years of supervised release following the prison term. During the hearing, it was revealed that Vasquez is a lifetime sex offender with a history of criminal behavior, including assault.
The incident occurred on August 2, 2024, when Vasquez drove to the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol checkpoint with two other individuals. Upon inspection, authorities discovered that one of the passengers was illegally present in the United States.
During the trial, Vasquez claimed he was asked for a ride by the illegal alien. However, testimony from the passenger contradicted this claim, stating that Vasquez instructed him to hide his Mexican identification card and arranged to meet him at a predetermined location.
Vasquez will remain in custody until his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility is finalized.
The investigation was conducted by Border Patrol agents, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Liesel Roscher and Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.
