Austin man sentenced to 16 years for deadly migrant smuggling incident
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A man from Austin was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a smuggling attempt that resulted in the deaths of two migrants.
Court documents say that 27-year-old Joseph Alex Hernandez sped away from police in Medina County, west of San Antonio, after they attempted a traffic stop on April 24, 2022.
Hernandez drove at almost 100 mph along a highway and an access road, crossing the median several times and running a red light.
A tire gave out, Hernandez lost control and the vehicle crashed after flipping multiple times in the median.
Hernandez had been transporting 13 undocumented migrants during the police chase, including eight who were lying down in the covered truck bed.
Three of the passengers were airlifted from the crash scene, and the rest were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. Two of the migrants died from their injuries in the hospital.
EMS personnel discovered Hernandez was carrying a loaded pistol while they gave him medical treatment.
Hernandez was charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He pled guilty to the conspiracy and firearm charges in October.
In a federal court in San Antonio, Hernandez was sentenced to 16 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, and 10 years for one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently.
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"This case is another unfortunate and tragic example of how dangerous smuggling humans across the border has become," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. "The defendant in this case put thirteen lives at risk in an attempt to evade law enforcement. Sadly, his actions led to two of those individuals paying the ultimate price."
"This sentencing highlights HSI’s commitment to use every tool in our arsenal to investigate and dismantle transnational criminal organizations involved with human smuggling," said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. "This case shows the lack of regard these organizations have for the people they have been paid to smuggle. There will be no safe haven in our communities for criminals who seek to evade our nation's laws and whose greed results in tragedy."