LUBBOCK, Texas — A Phoenix-area man, Rosalio Ayon Corrales, 21, accepted a plea deal Thursday in Lubbock for one count of “aiding and abetting improper entry by an illegal alien.”
The original charge against him was “alien smuggling.”
According to court records, on April 16, Corrales was stopped for speeding near Post. Corrales had three passengers – two from Guatemala and one from Mexico.
At first, according to court records, Corrales told officers that he was related to his passengers. But his passengers told law enforcement that they were in the country illegally and paid money to be taken to various locations.
A criminal complaint said one man paid $4,000. Another paid $500, and one more paid $2,000.
“[Corrales] stated he knowingly agreed to leave from his home in Phoenix, AZ and drive to Dallas, TX in order to pick up an unknown number of illegal aliens,” a criminal complaint said.
“[Corrales] stated he was instructed to transport them back to Phoenix, AZ in exchange for financial compensation of one hundred dollars ($100) per person transported,” the complaint said. “[Corrales] stated a co-worker of his from Phoenix intended to pay him upon successfully delivery of the illegal aliens to Phoenix.”
Corrales knew that they were not citizens.
As part of the deal, he faces no more than six months behind bars.
