A Mexican man, Angelico Roa-Joachin, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after being convicted of Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit and Reentry of a Removed Alien.
The 43-year-old Roa-Joachin’s sentence is to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Roa-Joachin’s three other co-conspirators were sentenced in 2022. Co-conspirator Rafael Hernandez-Garcia, age 35, of Mexico, was also sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. Additional co-defendants Luis Alberto Calixto-Pegueros, age 25, and Alexis Mejia-Zamora, age 26, both of Mexico, were sentenced to 37 months, and 27 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the conspiracy.
On April 22, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed a search warrant at two human smuggling stash houses in Phoenix, Arizona, and apprehended Roa-Joachin, Hernandez-Garcia, Calixto-Pegueros, and Mejia-Zamora, along with over 30 undocumented non-citizens. Agents seized firearms, cash, and ledgers detailing smuggling activities. The HSI investigation revealed that the organization regularly moved hundreds of undocumented non-citizens through the two stash houses. The individuals were often held in overcrowded conditions and were not permitted to leave until their families or sponsors paid the smuggling organization for their release. Judge Zipps further found that Roa-Joachin, Hernandez-Garcia, and Calixto-Pegueros sexually coerced or sexually assaulted at least one female undocumented non-citizen who was being held at the stash houses, which resulted in a sentence enhancement.