SAN DIEGO — A Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) San Diego-led investigation with help from the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for Southern District of California resulted in legal expenses in opposition to a overseas nationwide accused of human smuggling and sexually exploiting an underage migrant.
Cecilio Jimenez-Bautista, 26, of Mexico, appeared in federal court docket April 6 to face expenses that he sexually abused a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor he and his brother guided from Tijuana, Mexico, into the USA in June 2022.
In response to allegations in a grand jury indictment, Cecilio Jimenez-Bautista and his brother, Alexander Jimenez-Bautista, guided the lady and different Mexican residents from Mexico to the USA by means of the Otay Mountain Wilderness space with the intent to violate U.S. immigration legal guidelines. Over the course of three days, they took the group alongside distant, rugged and desolate paths earlier than U.S. Border Patrol brokers apprehended them close to Otay Lakes Highway.
Throughout these three days, Cecilio Jimenez-Bautista repeatedly remoted the lady from the group positioned her in concern and sexually abused her, the indictment mentioned. He in the end used her concern of him to trigger her to interact in intercourse with him, inflicting her critical bodily harm.
Each brothers face expenses associated to their roles as foot guides for a human smuggling group from June 2022 to February 2023.
“The risks of human smuggling can’t be overstated,” mentioned HSI San Diego Particular Agent in Cost Chad Plantz. “In response to the grievance, this youngster entrusted her security to smugglers. They, in flip, demonstrated that they worth revenue over human life. HSI and its legislation enforcement companions are dedicated to investigating organizations and people concerned within the exploitation of migrants.”
“We are going to do every thing in our energy to guard kids from hurt,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Randy Grossman. “America is dedicated to defending the rights of all people on our soil, particularly essentially the most weak.” Grossman thanked the prosecution group and investigating businesses for his or her wonderful work on this case.
“We’re constantly watchful and alert to discourage, detect and stop threats to any particular person,” mentioned San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke. “This consists of working along with our legislation enforcement companions to determine smugglers and their organizations who take benefit and revenue by putting human lives in danger.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine McGrath and Edward Chang of the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case with trial lawyer Danielle L. Hickman of the Human Rights and Particular Prosecutions Part of the U.S. Division of Justice’s Legal Division.
The costs and allegations contained in an indictment or grievance are merely accusations, and defendants are thought of harmless until and till confirmed responsible.
This case was supported by Joint Process Pressure Alpha (JTFA). JTFA was created by the Lawyer Common in June 2021 in partnership with the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), to strengthen the Division’s total efforts to fight these crimes primarily based on the rise in prolific and harmful smuggling from and thru Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA’s aim is to disrupt and dismantle these human smuggling and trafficking networks working in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, with a deal with networks that endanger, abuse or exploit migrants, current nationwide safety dangers, or have interaction in different varieties of transnational organized crime.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of California helps lead JTFA, which is comprised of detailees from southwest border U.S. lawyer’s places of work, together with the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona and the Southern District of California, and devoted help for this system can be supplied by quite a few elements of the Legal Division which might be a part of JTFA — led by the Human Rights and Particular Prosecutions Part and supported by the Workplace of Prosecutorial Growth, Help, and Coaching; the Narcotic and Harmful Drug Part; the Cash Laundering and Asset Restoration Part; the Workplace of Enforcement Operations; the Justice Division’s Workplace of Worldwide Affairs; and the Organized Crime and Gang Part.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), answerable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these legal organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by means of which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of greater than 8,700 staff consists of greater than 6,000 particular brokers assigned to 237 cities all through the USA, and 93 abroad places in 56 nations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.