UTICA, NEW YORK – Marco Avila, age 34, and an Ecuadorian citizen living in Newark, New Jersey, pled guilty yesterday to transporting an alien.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Robert N. Garcia, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.

As part of his plea, Avila admitted that on August 27, 2017, he and Julio Morales-Flor drove from New Jersey to the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation to pick up a friend whom they knew was illegally entering the United States from Canada that morning and bring him to New Jersey.  After picking up the friend, Avila was stopped by Border Patrol.  None of the three occupants had legal status in the United States.

Morales-Flor pled guilty to conspiracy to transport an alien and was sentenced on November 16, 2017, to time served (102 days in jail).

Avila is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2018, and faces up to 5 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.