4 men federally charged in LA County human smuggling case, U.S. attorney says
Federal officials in Los Angeles announced charges on Monday against four men accused of leading "one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States," the U.S. attorney says.
At a news conference, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said the men are allegedly responsible for smuggling about 20,000 undocumented immigrants from Guatemala into the country.
Officials identified the men as Eduardo Domingo "Turko" Renoj-Matul, Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, Helmer Obispo-Hernandez and Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj. They are accused of being the operators of the criminal Torko Organization.
McNally said the men were charged in federal court last week. Renoj-Matul, 51, and Mejia-Chaj, 49, were arrested Friday and appeared in court where a judge ordered they be held without bond.
Paxtor-Oxlaj, 44, is currently being held in Oklahoma for his connection in a 2023 car crash that killed seven migrants, including three children, according to court documents. Obispo-Hernandez is currently a fugitive being sought by federal officials.
The men are Guatemalan nationals who live in the Westlake, South LA and downtown areas. They were in the country illegally when the crimes were committed, officials said.
On Friday, McNally said search warrants were carried out near downtown LA at Obispo-Hernandez's residence. McNally claims Obispo-Hernandez made calls to a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer threatening to hurt him and his family.
"The threats were allegedly made Friday to the federal law enforcement office in the wake of search warrants being executed," McNally said.
Officials alleged that once the immigrants were smuggled into the U.S. through Arizona or other states, some were held in "stash houses" in the Westlake district until fees to the smugglers were paid, authorities said. From there the individuals were "transported and moved to various destinations," McNally said.
The ring's actions "demonstrate a complete disregard for the nation's immigration laws," McNally said during a news conference Monday in downtown Los Angeles.
McNally said the officer's execution of search warrants showed a renewed effort to enforce immigration laws.
Dwayne Angebrandt, Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles acting deputy special agent in charge, claimed the Torko Organization was responsible for transporting about 20,000 undocumented immigrants into the LA and Phoenix, Arizona, dating back to 2019.
"The illegal activity endangers the national security," Angebrandt said.
McNally said the men are charged with one count of conspiracy to bring undocumented immigrants to the U.S., transporting them in the U.S. and harboring them in the country for private financial gain and resulting in death.
"Renoj-Matual was assisted by associates in Guatemala who solicited illegal immigrants to come to the United States, accepted payment of between $15,000 and $18,000 for each illegal immigrant smuggled into the United States, and coordinated the journey of the illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the United States," a statement from McNally's office said.
Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj are also charged with two counts of hostage taking. Obispo-Hernandez and Paxtor-Oxlaj are charged with one count of transporting undocumented immigrants in the U.S. for private financial gain and resulting in death, McNally's office said.
"In November 2023, Paxtor-Oxlaj caused a car accident in Elk City, Oklahoma, while he was smuggling illegal immigrants from New York to Los Angeles," McNally said. "That car accident resulted in the deaths of seven people who were passengers in the vehicle he drove."
Obispo-Hernandez will also be facing additional charges for threatening to hurt an officer and his family on Friday, McNally said.
If the men are convicted of all charges, they could face up to life in prison or the death penalty, McNally said.
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