Latest news with #JosephMcNally
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
Riverside County gang used drug mules to smuggle narcotics into jail: DOJ
Three people were arrested Friday following a federal grand jury indictment accusing them of smuggling narcotics into a Riverside County jail. The indictment describes a scheme in which drugs were concealed in the body cavities of at least one 'drug mule' who then deliberately got arrested to deliver it inside the jail, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The 10 defendants named in the indictment allegedly participated in smuggling fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin into the facility. The other seven defendants were already in custody, officials said. 'Drug smuggling endangers the lives of inmates and the sheriff's deputies who are sworn to guard them,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. 'I thank and commend our partners at the FBI and Riverside County Sheriff's Department for their dedication to this case.' Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said the smuggling of drugs into jails, particularly fentanyl, has led to an increase inmate deaths and medical emergencies in the jails. The scheme was allegedly led by Andrew Jesus Ayala, 46, of Riverside, and members of a Riverside-based street gang. They are accused of coordinating with defendants who were already in custody, multiple facilitators, and at least one drug mule. Beginning in 2022, investigators intercepted phone calls about the drug smuggling efforts, including the smugglers arranging temporary housing for the designated drug mules and using deliberate tactics to bypass detection like X-ray machines. One incident in late 2022 involved an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle 1.75 ounces of methamphetamine hidden inside a defendant's body, which was caught on the X-ray. The 10 defendants face conspiracy charges for possessing and distributing methamphetamine, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Nine defendants are additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
04-03-2025
- USA Today
Feds charge 4 people with operating 'one of the largest human smuggling rings' in the US
Feds charge 4 people with operating 'one of the largest human smuggling rings' in the US Show Caption Hide Caption What we know: How far can immigration officials go under new laws? From executive orders on birthright citizenship to deputizing federal agents, how far can immigration laws go? Here's what we know. Four men have been charged with operating a criminal organization that allegedly smuggled thousands of people without legal status from Guatemala to the U.S. over five years, federal authorities announced Monday. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally called the criminal network "one of the largest human smuggling rings in the nation," during a news conference Monday. Prosecutors claimed that the organization transported about 20,000 people into Los Angeles and Phoenix from 2019 through July 2024. The organization is also accused of holding some of the immigrants hostage in stash houses and is responsible for the deaths of seven people — including a 4-year-old child — who were killed in a November 2023 car crash in Oklahoma, according to prosecutors. All four defendants were identified as Guatemalan nationals who resided in Los Angeles-area neighborhoods, including Westlake, downtown Los Angeles, and South Los Angeles. They were all in the country without legal permission at the time of the alleged crimes, prosecutors said. The four defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to illegally bring people to the U.S., transporting people illegally in the U.S., and harboring people without legal status in the U.S. for private financial gain and resulting in death, according to prosecutors. The defendants each face a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment if convicted on all charges. "These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills," McNally said in a statement. "Their members pose a danger to the public and law enforcement ... The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country's largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations." 'Specialized in the smuggling of illegal immigrants' Prosecutors said authorities arrested two alleged leaders of the criminal organization in Los Angeles on Friday and a judge ordered them to be held without bond. Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, known as "Turko," and his alleged right-hand man, Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, both pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial on April 22. According to an indictment unsealed Friday, prosecutors named Renoj-Matul as the leader of the criminal network. The organization has allegedly operated for at least a dozen years and "specialized in the smuggling of illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the United States ... and the harboring, concealing, and shielding of illegal immigrants." The indictment alleged that Renoj-Matual was assisted by associates in Guatemala who solicited people by taking payments of between $15,000 and $18,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. Prosecutors added that Mexican smuggling organizations helped transport the immigrants through Mexico and across the U.S.-Mexico border into Arizona, where people would be held in stash houses before they were picked up by Renoj-Matul's lieutenants. For an additional fee, the immigrants were transported and moved to various locations in the country, such as Los Angeles and Phoenix, according to prosecutors. Some immigrants who were unable to pay the fees were held hostage in a stash house in the Westlake neighborhood, prosecutors said. "Renoj-Matul directed that the transportation of proceeds from human smuggling be transported from Los Angeles to Phoenix, where they were given to the Mexican smuggling organization to pay the expenses incurred by Renoj-Matul's transnational criminal organization," according to prosecutors. The indictment further alleged that from April 2024 to July 2024, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj held hostage two victims and threatened to kill the victims until third parties paid for their release. The two have also been charged with two counts of hostage-taking, according to prosecutors. 'Sense of fear': People are becoming wary of hospitals, leaving waiting rooms empty and doctors concerned Indictment: Man threatened to 'cut off' the head of an officer Prosecutors also charged Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, also known as "Xavi," and Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj. Obispo-Hernandez was identified as another lieutenant in the criminal organization and is believed to be in Guatemala. Obispo-Hernandez faces charges in a separate federal criminal complaint filed on Sunday, according to prosecutors. The indictment accuses Obispo-Hernandez of threatening to "cut off the heads of a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force officer and members of his family." Obispo-Hernandez allegedly made those threats on Friday while search warrants were being executed at his residence, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, Paxtor-Oxlaj is currently being held in Oklahoma for his involvement in the fatal Oklahoma car crash, according to prosecutors. "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," prosecutors said. "That car accident resulted in the deaths of seven people who were passengers in the vehicle he drove. Of the seven people killed, three were minors, including a 4-year-old child." Paxtor-Oxlaj was arrested and charged with being an immigrant without legal status in the U.S. following removal, prosecutors said. He had been previously removed from the country in 2010 and did not have legal permission to re-enter the U.S. 'Traumatized by the spectacle': Trump's expanded ICE raids are causing big problems for some schools Charges come amid Trump administration's crackdown on immigration Monday's announcement comes amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, which includes a growing number of ICE raids across the country and the suspension of the CBP One app that allowed migrants to apply for immigration appointments. After taking office on Jan. 20, Trump almost immediately signed a flurry of executive orders tied to illegal immigration and refugee admissions. The president is also attempting to end birthright citizenship, contrary to the 14th Amendment. The president has repeatedly said his administration will prioritize deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal histories. ICE has reported that it has arrested thousands of people since around Jan. 23, USA TODAY previously reported. In recent weeks, numerous demonstrations have popped up across the nation opposing Trump's immigration policies and other controversial actions. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Simi Valley couple faces federal charges for forced labor, other crimes
A Simi Valley couple was arrested Wednesday on charges that they abused asylum-seeking immigrants from Latin America by forcing them to do domestic labor around the couple's house and hand over money they earned elsewhere, federal officials said. A 50-year-old woman and her 45-year-old husband were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor and four counts of forced labor, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The woman was separately charged with four counts of trafficking with respect to forced labor, three counts of giving immigration documents to unauthorized persons, one count of encouraging and inducing illegal entry, and one count of witness tampering. During appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, a federal magistrate judge ordered them detained and scheduled a trial April 8. As described in a federal indictment, the couple smuggled people into the United States and exploited them for financial gain, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said in a news release. In concert with other unnamed parties, the couple allegedly recruited Latin Americans for more than two years from November 2021 until at least March of last year to provide forced labor at their Simi Valley home, federal officials said. Neither of them has entered a plea, according to federal court records on the case. The woman was identified as a naturalized U.S. citizen from Peru and her husband as a non-citizen Peruvian immigrant. A lawyer listed in court filings as the woman's attorney declined to comment Thursday. She allegedly facilitated the immigrants' entry into the country with financial assistance and travel arrangements. After arrival, the woman helped them get transportation to California and eventually to the couple's house in Simi Valley. The immigrants were required to provide child care, sleep in the same bedroom as the couple's minor child with special needs and perform domestic labor, according to the 24-page indictment. They received no pay and were told by the Simi Valley couple that their work was performed in exchange for rent at the home, officials said. The defendants allegedly charged them a fee for being smuggled into the U.S., which they would repay by obtaining jobs outside the home. The woman is suspected of helping the foreign nationals get fraudulent Social Security cards and permanent resident cards for job searches. She would then bring them to a check cashing outlet, where they could cash their checks to pay the couple, the news release said. If convicted, the woman and man face a statutory maximum sentence of five years for conspiracy to commit forced labor and a statutory maximum of 20 years for each charge of forced labor. The woman faces additional maximum penalties numbering decades if convicted. Kathleen Wilson covers courts, mental health and local government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at or 805-437-0271. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Simi Valley couple faces federal charges for forced labor, more
