Charged with bringing 9 more aliens this week into Jay 

An illegal immigrant from Mexico, who Border Patrol Agents say was caught leading nine others unlawfully over the international border into Orleans County this week, admits that he has crossed into the United States at least 51 times without authorization, court records show.

Juan Pablo Espinoza-Morales, 51, reported he lives in Granby, Que. and survives on government assistance, the U.S. Border Patrol said.

He said he does odd jobs for unknown persons.   He said he was contacted, through an acquaintance, by unknown individuals offering him money in exchange for helping people over the international border, a court affidavit noted.

The Border Patrol said he denied knowing who the organizers were and claimed, “you don’t meet the bosses.”

Espinoza-Morales said he accepted the job offer and was picked up in an unknown vehicle on the street near his home in Granby, Que. at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, court records show.  There was a man driving and he had three women as passengers, he said. 

Espinoza-Morales reported there was a second vehicle ahead of them and he was given $300 and a cellphone, which he was told to never turn off.  The phone was to be used to guide him and the group into the United States, records show.

He said he was told he would be paid $200 a person when the smuggling operation ended.  Espinoza-Morales also said he was told to collect the cellphones from the illegal immigrants he was smuggling into the country.

A Border Patrol Agent reported later finding a bag with several cellphones and a smartwatch after the arrests were made.

Federal Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle ordered Espinoza-Morales held without bail pending further hearings during his court hearing late Wednesday afternoon.  Doyle agreed with the government that he was a serious risk to flee and had no ties to Vermont.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham noted that Espinoza-Morales has previous criminal convictions in Arizona on Nov. 8, 2018 for illegal entry into the United States and for knowingly and intentionally possessing marijuana.  Espinoza-Morales pleaded guilty to both criminal counts and received concurrent 180-day prison terms.

Espinoza-Morales acknowledged he had earlier smuggled marijuana into the United States four times before he was caught, the Border Patrol said.  He also had been previously removed from Arizona for being here illegally in October 2012, records show.

Espinoza-Morales admitted he was involved in organized criminal activity for a profit.  He said he was being paid on this trip for leading five citizens from Guatemala, two from Brazil, and one each from Portugal and Venezuela across the international boundary, the Border Patrol reported.  He had been told there would be 15 to 20 immigrants.

The 9 smuggled people, which included two women, were all afforded federal court hearings in Burlington before Judge Doyle on Wednesday and Thursday.  Each pleaded guilty through interpreters to illegally entering the country.

Doyle imposed a time served sentence for each and explained to the defendants they would remain in the United States until they could be airlifted back to their respective home countries.

The Border Patrol in Orleans County said they received a tip from a concerned citizen about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday that his game trail camera was activated by a large group of people walking through the woods west of North Jay about 1.5 miles south of the international border.  The trial camera was located about two miles from an authorized port of entry, the Border Patrol said in court papers.

Border Patrol Agents flocked to the area and eventually the group was found south of Tranquility Lane in Jay about 10 a.m. about a half mile from the original report.   As some of the southbound group stopped, Espinoza-Morales fled north, court papers said.

Federal agents combed the area and about 10 minutes later found several individuals attempting to hide in the brush.

Meanwhile other federal agents had headed north to try to intercept the guide, Espinoza-Morales, who was eventually found.

Espinoza-Morales estimated the group had walked for about three hours.

The federal court records identified the persons arrested for illegal entry and their home country as:

Yessica Arroyo-Cortez, 33, of Venezuela; Jose Dos Santos-Machado, 52, of Portugal; Guilherme Daniel-Chiari, 34, and Cesar De Paula-Sousa, 56, both of Brazil;

Also, Ramon Cocon-Muxtay, 40, Eulalio Alfonso Corado-Hernandez, 28, Mario Rolando Aju-Sanic, 46, Norma Berly Punay-Puluc, 27, Estella Luz Diaz-Auzume, 49, all of Guatemala.