BROWNSVILLE, Texas — An illegal alien pleaded guilty to federal human smuggling charges for his role in helping a group of active U.S. soldiers from Fort Hood move migrants into Texas.
This week, 51-year-old Victoriano “El Tata” Zamora Jasso went before a U.S. district judge and entered a guilty plea before jury selection for his trial was set to begin, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed. Since Zamora is an illegal alien, he is expected to face deportation after he completes his punishment. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May when he faces a possible term of 10 years in prison.
According to federal prosecutors, from March to September 2014, Zamora would procure illegal immigrants for the human smuggling group. An accomplice, 47-year-old Arnold Gracia from Harlingen, Texas, was in charge of making the transportation arrangements. Gracia recruited four active-duty soldiers from Fort Hood to smuggle the illegal immigrants.
As Breitbart Texas reported at the time, the soldiers would hide the illegal immigrants under their equipment and gear as they would drive north from the Texas border past a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita. According to prosecutors, the soldiers made several successful trips before they were discovered. Troy Robbins, Eric Alexander Rodriguez, Christopher David Wix, and Yashira Perez Morales have all been convicted and sentenced.
The case is not the first of its kind. In June 2016, two active-duty soldiers from Fort Bliss were also arrested for their role in smuggling illegal immigrants, Breitbart Texas reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.