Marycela Rivas, 36, of Avondale, Ariz., was sentenced last week to 33 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. Her sister, Leticia Montano, a.k.a. Leticia Rivas, 42, of Phoenix, was previously sentenced to 63 months’ imprisonment for her role in the conspiracy.
Between 2008 and 2013, Montano, a licensed realtor, managed 279 residences through several companies she owned and operated: Sol Realty, Metro North Realty, and AZ Home Property Management. The evidence presented at sentencing revealed that Montano and her employees, including her co-defendant and sister Rivas, would-in return for extremely high fees-assist certain renters in concealing their true identities from the property owners and law enforcement. These renters would, in turn, use the properties to facilitate criminal activity such as drug smuggling and alien smuggling.