Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A federal jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, has convicted Jorge Grimon Maturell, a 52-year-old Cuban national residing legally in Jacksonville, Florida. Maturell was found guilty of transporting seven illegal aliens in a tractor-trailer. The verdict came after less than two days of trial and just under two hours of jury deliberation.
On November 1, 2024, Maturell drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint where a K-9 unit alerted authorities to his vehicle. Upon secondary inspection, officials discovered three individuals hiding in the sleeper area and four more underneath a mattress. All seven were determined to be illegal aliens without authorization to be in the United States.
Authorities also found $20,684 on Maturell and uncovered communications discussing transportation of people for similar amounts of money. Maturell claimed he had been threatened by an unknown person at a gas station in Edinburg earlier that day to smuggle the individuals; however, no evidence supported this claim as investigations revealed he did not stop at that location.
Testimony presented during the trial showed that Maturell instructed the illegal aliens on where to hide within his vehicle and advised them to remain silent upon reaching the checkpoint. He made no stops after picking up the individuals before arriving at the checkpoint.
Maturell's defense argued he acted under duress. He testified that his initial statement about being threatened in Edinburg was false and that he was actually threatened in Laredo. He claimed he traveled to McAllen to pick up the aliens before heading north through the checkpoint.
The jury rejected these defense claims and found him guilty as charged. U.S. District Judge David Morales presided over the trial and scheduled sentencing for June 25, when Maturell could face up to five years in federal prison.
After previously being released on bond, Maturell was taken into custody following the verdict and will remain detained until sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Patrick Overman prosecuting the case.
