Yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio, indictments were returned charging three illegal aliens from Guatemala for international smuggling of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) and defrauding the government. Another illegal The court sentenced alien to prison for smuggling a UAC to the United States in 2023 and then fraudulently obtaining custody of the child who he then sexually abused. . The indictments charge Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38.
Key details of the case
Her brother Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33, both illegal aliens from Guatemala, for their roles in an international alien smuggling conspiracy, spanning from approximately December 2020 to October 2023, that included submitting multiple fraudulent sponsorship applications to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to gain custody of UACs. Gladys Marina Caal Chen, 20, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who, herself, was fraudulently sponsored as a UAC, is charged with making false statements to the government in connection with a UAC sponsorship application. . Juan Tiul Xi, 27, from Guatemala, pleaded guilty for helping smuggle a child into the United States and submitting a fraudulent sponsorship application, falsely representing that he was the child’s brother.
Moreover, after gaining custody, Xi sexually abused the child. For that, A jury convicted he of sexual battery of a child in state court and sentenced to eight years in prison. Additionally, The court sentenced Xi to 26 months in federal prison to be served consecutive to the eight year state prison sentence.
Meanwhile, “For too many years, under the prior administration, unaccompanied children were smuggled to the United States and then taken in by a mismanaged government program guided by reckless policy direction,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Instead of protecting children, these defendants and others allegedly took advantage of the program and used it to entice the illegal smuggling of unaccompanied children to the United States and, as the sentence of Tiul Xi shows, leave them vulnerable to sexual assault, trafficking. Other exploitation.” .
Enforcement actions and official statements
In addition, “These defendants allegedly induced young children to make the treacherous journey from Guatemala to the United States. Then lied to government authorities to obtain custody, abusing the very program designed to protect vulnerable children,” said Assistant Attorney A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
As a result, “Through Joint Task Force Alpha, the Criminal Division is focused on prosecuting alien smuggling and fraud in the UAC program. In this country, we will not stand for illegal aliens helping to smuggle children into the United States and then sexually assault them.”. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not tolerate criminal schemes that endanger children and undermine the lawful procedure established to protect them,” said Acting Director David Venturella of ICE. For complete details, refer to the official DOJ press release.
“Our agency, working alongside federal partners, remains resolute in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who violate the law. We are determined to continue the necessary work to root out this criminality.”. “We will not tolerate criminals that use deceptive and fraudulent practices to deliberately abuse our immigration programs for their financial gain,” said U.S.
Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “If your business plan is to smuggle others into our country for a profit. Especially children — you will come face to face with a federal judge for violating our country’s laws. For related coverage, see Jason Plummer admits role in fraud operation that used false sweepstakes winnings.
Specifically, we owe a debt of gratitude to the federal investigators who brought this dark truth to light taking place right here in Northern Ohio. We will aggressively prosecute these alleged crimes and bring those responsible for such actions to justice.”. “HSI remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and protecting vulnerable children from smuggling and exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office.
Subsequently, “This case demonstrates the dedication and collaboration of our agents and partners in dismantling criminal networks that seek to exploit a legitimate government process for personal gain. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety of our communities and the security of our borders.”. “Martiza Azucena Cahuec Coc and her co-conspirators allegedly engaged in a complex and calculated pattern of illegal conduct by committing multiple crimes irrespective of the laws of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. For related coverage, see Government contractor and executives to pay $21.3m to resolve fraud scheme involving service-disabled veteran-owned small business contracts — DOJ.
At the same time, “They blatantly disregarded the laws of this country at the expense of minor children. Making false and fraudulent claims while also purporting to be the children’s relatives lends to further victimization of the minor children for whom they claimed to be helping. These behaviors highlight an incomparable disrespect for the country, programs.
People that, if correctly followed, would have afforded the proper entry into the United States.”. “Exploiting vulnerable children and manipulating a system designed to protect them is abhorrent,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S.
Furthermore, department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These defendants not only endangered minors by smuggling them into the country. They also defrauded a federal program entrusted with their safety.
Investigation and prosecution details
HHS-OIG will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those who abuse government processes for personal gain are held fully accountable.”. “The care and welfare of unaccompanied children is paramount to the Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),” said Acting Director Angie Salazar of ORR. “We are committed to continuously reviewing UAC data, identifying suspicious trends, and collaborating with law enforcement whenever there are child safety concerns. We take any attempt to exploit or defraud our agency extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with our partners to protect the integrity of our mission and the safety of the children entrusted to our care.”.