For Additional Info, Contact:
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Paul Benjamin (619) 546-7579 and Larry Casper (619) 546-6734
SAN DIEGO – Human smuggler Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, whose try to flee Border Patrol brokers resulted in a Christmas-Day crash that killed one unauthized immigrant and severely injured two others, was sentenced in federal courtroom right this moment to greater than 4 years in jail.
When imposing the sentence, U.S. District Decide Cathy Ann Bencivengo stated: “Human trafficking is a really severe offense. This case underscores the scenario at its worst.” Decide Bencivengo additionally famous that, regardless of a number of alternatives to cease earlier than the deadly crash, the defendant’s failure to take action coupled with the “nature and circumstances make this far more aggravated.”
Quevedo-Moncado, 23, pleaded responsible in October 2022, admitting that on December 25, 2021, he picked up three undocumented migrants hiding round Otay Mountain Wilderness, a distant space in San Diego County about 12 miles east of the town of Otay Mesa and simply north of the Mexican border. When Border Patrol brokers tried to cease his automotive, Quevedo-Moncada sped into a close-by campground the place he drove erratically, practically hitting a number of Border Patrol automobiles. He escaped the campground by ramming a Border Patrol automotive positioned on the exit.
Quevedo-Moncado then continued to flee down a winding, darkish rural highway that was slick from the rain and misplaced management of the automotive, launching it off the highway and right into a tree, killing considered one of his passengers. The 2 different passengers, who each survived, have been hospitalized in crucial situation. One among them suffered, amongst different accidents, a damaged jaw, a collapsed lung, eight rib fractures, and accidents to his spleen and kidneys, and needed to be positioned right into a medically-induced coma earlier than he was stabilized. CHP accident reconstructions confirmed that Quevedo-Moncado’s automotive was travelling at speeds of as much as 93 miles per hour round a curve with a pace restrict of 35 when he crashed. Please see photographs beneath of the crashed automobile, which have been included with the federal government’s sentencing supplies.
Quevedo-Moncada, who was not severely damage within the crash, pushed himself out by way of the windshield of his automotive and continued his effort to flee from Border Patrol brokers. Once they caught him, he continued to wrestle to keep away from being handcuffed. After his arrest, Quevedo-Moncada admitted he was being paid $2,000 to smuggle his passengers to Anaheim. Quevedo-Moncada additionally admitted that, following the crash, he heard considered one of his passengers moaning in ache and believed that the passenger was bleeding, however didn’t cease to assist him. Quevedo-Moncado claimed that he didn’t help as a result of he didn’t know the person and since Quevedo-Moncado was additionally in ache.
“This was an aggravated crime motivated by revenue and dedicated with no regard for human life,” stated U.S. Lawyer Randy Grossman. “The passengers have been handled as disposable cargo with predictably tragic outcomes. We are going to proceed to carry unscrupulous human smugglers chargeable for the implications of their grasping and lethal actions.”
Grossman thanked the prosecution group and investigating companies for his or her glorious work on this case.
“We’re grateful for the exhausting work and tenacity that our Border Patrol brokers and companions within the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace demonstrated in bringing this prison to justice,” stated San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke. “To forestall additional tragedy, it’s crucial that we proceed holding smugglers and their transportation cells accountable for reckless and life-threatening habits.”
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of California helps lead Joint Job Drive Alpha (JTFA), which was established by Lawyer Common Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial assets of the Division of Justice, in partnership with the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), to boost U.S. enforcement efforts in opposition to probably the most prolific and harmful human smuggling and trafficking teams working in Mexico and the Northern Triangle international locations of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Job Drive focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose nationwide safety threats, and are concerned in organized crime. JTFA consists of federal prosecutors and attorneys from U.S. Lawyer’s Workplaces alongside the Southwest Border, from the Legal Division and the Civil Rights Division, together with legislation enforcement brokers and analysts from DHS’s Homeland Safety Investigations, Customs and Border Safety, and Border Patrol. The FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration are additionally a part of the Job Drive.
DEFENDANTS Case Quantity 22-CR-0038-CAB
Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada Age: 23 Lake Forest, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Transportation of Sure Aliens Leading to Loss of life – Title 8 U.S.C. Part 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii), (v)(II), and (a)(1)(B)(iv)
Most Penalties – Life in jail or dying; $250,000 tremendous
Transportation of Sure Aliens Leading to Severe Bodily Damage – Title 8 U.S.C. Part 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii), (v)(II), and (a)(1)(B)(iii)
Most Penalties – Twenty years in jail; $250,000 tremendous
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
United States Border Patrol
Federal Bureau of Investigation
