A 38-year-old resident of Chattanooga, has been ordered to federal prison after unlawfully transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei in Corpus Christi, Tx.
Josef Alquan Rutley pleaded guilty Feb. 18.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered Rutley to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described the dangerous way the 22 illegal aliens were locked into the trailer with no way to escape. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the large number of illegal aliens and their inability to escape in an emergency.
On Dec. 19, 2024, Rutley approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint driving a tractor trailer. He claimed he was traveling to Laredo. He denied having any passengers and said he was looking for a load.
Authorities noted he appeared nervous and avoided eye contact which prompted a referral to secondary inspection. An x-ray scan revealed 22 illegal aliens locked inside the trailer with no means of escape.
All were from the countries of Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
“Human smuggling can often turn deadly, particularly in crowded conditions like a tractor trailer,” said prosecutor 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 will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative "that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."