Woman pleads guilty to smuggling husband in van
BROWNSVILLE — A woman accused of trying to smuggle her common-law husband into the U.S. by hiding him in the trunk of her car has pleaded guilty to alien smuggling.
Lashonda Dawn Martinez was arrested Monday at Veteran’s International Bridge by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, court records show. Martinez’s age and place of residence could not be determined Friday evening.
She pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending her sentencing.
The arrest took place when CBP officers checked the trunk of the vehicle discovered Juan Gabriel Morales Nino, hiding under heavy clothing and a black tarp, records show. The criminal complaint didn’t specify the make or model of the vehicle.
Once in custody, Martinez told CBP officers that she knew she was smuggling an undocumented immigrant, but she didn’t do it for monetary gain, but because of her relationship with the man, records show.
