Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Chattanooga resident has been sentenced to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Josef Alquan Rutley, 38, pleaded guilty in February and was ordered by U.S. District Judge David Morales to serve 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The court reviewed evidence highlighting the dangerous conditions under which 22 illegal aliens were confined inside a trailer with no means of escape. The incident occurred on December 19, 2024, when Rutley drove a tractor-trailer through the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint claiming he was headed to Laredo without passengers.
Suspicious behavior led authorities to conduct a secondary inspection where an x-ray scan revealed the individuals locked inside. They originated from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
“Human smuggling can often turn deadly, particularly in crowded conditions like a tractor trailer,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas is doing everything it can to deter people from being smuggled and to punish those who make their money by trafficking other human beings.”
Rutley remains in custody awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations along with Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America aimed at combating illegal immigration and related criminal activities by utilizing resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
