US Army soldiers charged with people smuggling

Two soldiers on active duty with the US Army have been charged with smuggling two undocumented immigrants through a Border Patrol checkpoint. The announcement of the charges was made on Wednesday by Southern District of Texas US Attorney, Kenneth Magidson, as well as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Special Agent in Charge, Mark Dawson, from the Homeland Security Investigations division.

Marco Antonio Nava Jr., aged 19, and 25-year-old Joseph Edmond Cleveland, both residents of El Paso, appeared before US Magistrate Judge, B. Janice Ellington, on 2 November. Both of the men were charged in the indictment with one count of transporting an alien and conspiring to transport aliens. Cleveland and Nava allegedly smuggled two undocumented immigrants through the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint on 19 June, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that at 4 pm on that date, a vehicle driven by Nava, with Cleveland in the passenger seat, was driven to the Falfurrias checkpoint. A US Border Patrol agent inspected the vehicle and discovered two extra passengers in the rear. Both of these passengers were soon revealed to be undocumented immigrants.

Cleveland and Nava could face a maximum of up to ten years in a federal prison if they are convicted. The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations division of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the case prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney, Jeffrey S. Miller.