Texas man found guilty of smuggling migrants in cattle trailer behind hay bales
A 28-year-old Corpus Christi man was convicted of transporting people who were in the country illegally after authorities found eight migrants hidden behind hay bales in a cattle trailer, according to federal prosecutors on Wednesday.
Border Patrol intercepts cattle trailer
What we know:
On July 2, Jose Manuel Gomez drove a white Ford F-250 hauling a cattle trailer to a Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas. Authorities discovered the migrants after a K-9 alerted agents to the trailer.
Digital evidence links trailer to Gomez
Gomez testified that a friend asked him to move cattle and directed him to the trailer. He also said he did not know who owned it. According to prosecutors, investigators determined the trailer had been sold through Facebook Marketplace to a buyer using the same phone number as Gomez’s wife. The seller testified that Gomez, his wife and their children arrived in a white F-250 to pick up the trailer in Melvin, Texas.
Border Patrol checkpoint cameras also captured the same truck hauling the trailer about a week before the smuggling incident and again on the day of the offense, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Following a two-day trial, a jury deliberated for about two hours before finding Gomez guilty.
Conviction and potential prison time
What's next:
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos presided over the trial and scheduled Gomez’s sentencing for Jan. 6, 2027. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by Border Patrol and the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Ashley Martin are prosecuting the case.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Texas.