A human smuggling organization leader in San Diego, Luis Antonio Mendez-Brahan, was sentenced to five years in prison for bringing hundreds of migrants into the United States. The organization, run by Mendez-Brahan for nearly a decade, charged migrants between $6,000 and $8,000 each for smuggling them across the border. His adult children were also involved in the operation, with financial transactions traced to money service businesses in Tijuana.
Three of Mendez-Brahan’s children pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the smuggling ring. Mendez-Brahan, who was indicted in 2019 and extradited to San Diego last year, got involved in smuggling to raise money for his mother’s surgery, according to his defense attorney Matthew Binninger.
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“He realizes now that this is no excuse for his actions,” Binninger wrote in sentencing papers. “He is truly sorry for having committed this offense and for involving his children in his crimes.”
