EDINBURG, Texas (Border Report) — A 19-year-old man from Houston has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for stealing a car that was used for smuggling migrants, Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery said Tuesday.
Jesus Jonathan Rodriguez pleaded guilty on Sept. 23 to a carjacking. Officials say he stole a car outside a convenience store in Edinburg on May 19, 2024, and used it a day later in a human smuggling attempt.
Officials say Rodriguez brandished a gun at the driver and was accompanied by an accomplice, Christian Hardy, 18, of Richmond, Texas. Authorities say Hardy climbed into the stolen Ford fiesta and they drove away.
A day later, the car was stopped and searched as the pair tried to cross the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, about 65 miles north of Edinburg. Agents referred the car to secondary inspection because it had been reported stolen. There, officials say they found two migrants inside the car’s trunk.
Law enforcement say they also found a firearm on Rodriguez.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos has ordered Rodriguez serve 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Hardy, 18, of Richmond, Texas, also has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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