Philadelphia area man pleads guilty to illegally smuggling migrants into U.S. to profit off their labor
Cesar David Martinez-Gonzalez, of Chester, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on Tuesday for his role in illegally smuggling migrants into the United States for his own financial gain, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
According to the U.S. attorney's office, Martinez-Gonzalez, 39, encouraged and helped smuggle migrants illegally from South America, across the U.S.-Mexico border, to then profit off of their labor.
Officials said Martinez-Gonzalez financed "coyotes" or smugglers in Mexico, to guide migrants across the Rio Grande and through holes in the border wall. He also provided information to the migrants to give to Customs and Border Protection so that they could be released on parole to his residences. Once released, the 39-year-old would pay for flights to bring the migrants to Philadelphia and then transport them to houses in and around Chester, Pennsylvania.
Martinez-Gonzalez along with other accomplices made the migrants work off thousands of dollars in "debts" owed to him, by working long hours at low-paying jobs and surrendering half of their wages to him.
Officials said the debts the migrants were forced to work off far exceeded the cost to get the individuals to Chester and house them. The 39-year-old is also accused of obtaining false identification documents for the migrants.
"Martinez-Gonzalez took advantage of vulnerable migrants for his own financial benefit," said United States Attorney Jacqueline Romero. "He induced them to come to the United States, then imposed thousands of dollars of so-called 'debts,' which they had to repay through weeks or months of labor. My office and our partners will continue to target these human smugglers, who both prey on disadvantaged populations and flout our country's immigration laws."
Martinez-Gonzalez faces a maximum possible sentence of 120 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office. His sentencing is set for March 18, 2025.