Immigration
DOJ: Illegal immigrant admits to raping young girl and taking her across state lines
An illegal immigrant admitted Tuesday to coercion and enticement of a minor and to illegally reentering the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Juan Carlos Morales-Pedraza, 34, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to coercion and enticement of a minor and of illegally re-entering the United States after having previously been deported, according to a statement released by the Department of Justice.
Morales-Pedraza was deported in 2010, federal officials said.
Morales-Pedraza admitted that he is a citizen of Mexico and that he illegally entered the United States after having previously been deported.
In April 2019, Morales-Pedraza approached a 15-year-old girl in Passaic County, New Jersey. Two days later, after engaging in sexual intercourse with the victim, Morales-Pedraza and the victim left New Jersey and began traveling to Illinois.
An Ohio state trooper pulled the deportee over in Lucas County for failing to yield, authorities said at the time.
“There was that feeling that something wasn’t right,” Sgt. Ivan Nunez told WTOL11.
Police said Morales-Pedraza was ‘overly friendly’ during the stop and the girl lied about her age.
Troopers then discovered the girl had been reported missing.
Detectives determined that Morales-Pedraza “forced the girl to perform acts on him,” the Ohio Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The girl was brought to a local hospital before eventually being reunited with her family, authorities in New Jersey said.
Morales-Pedraza was also brought back to New Jersey, where a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark indicted him on charges of kidnapping, illegal transportation of a minor and illegally re-entering the U.S. as a removed alien.
Morales-Pedraza, who has been detained since the incident, took a plea deal from the government rather than face trial.
As part of the deal, federal authorities dropped the kidnapping and illegal transportation charges, allowing Morales-Pedraza to plead guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and re-entering the country.
The count of coercion and enticement carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and mandatory restitution. The count of illegal re-entry carries a maximum prison sentence of two years and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler scheduled sentencing for July 14.
Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy
The border crisis in the United States is not simply about allowing individuals to enter the country illegally; it’s about national security and terrorism. In 2023 alone, roughly 300 suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to cross the border, according to newly reported Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data. That terrifying number is of apprehensions, meaning an unknown number of terrorists may have been successful in evading border patrol.
28 members of Congress have recently formed an entirely new caucus in order to address the increasing crisis at the northern border, “where record numbers of foreign nationals continue to illegally enter from Canada” reports The Center Square.
The Northern Border Security Caucus, formed by Republican Representatives Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, and Ryan Zinke of Montana. The congressmen have expressed substantial concerns about “the increased human and drug trafficking, along with the decrease in Border Patrol agents and lack of security, along the U.S.-Canada border.”
In a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, caucus members said the “surges in border encounters and drug smuggling coupled with the shortage of Border Patrol agents and lack of security measures place America’s northern border at serious risk.”
The letter also noted the record numbers of illegal entries along the northern border, including record apprehensions in Vermont and upstate New York. Additionally, reported deaths have been on the rise in northwest Minnesota.
Calling on Mayorkas to secure the border, the caucus warns that Border Patrol staffing at the northern border has remained flat since fiscal 2009, hovering around 2,000 agents tasked with patrolling some of the most difficult terrain. Despite being short-staffed, they recorded a 596% increase in drug seizures in fiscal 2022 from fiscal 2021. Since January 2021, they’re apprehensions have increased by a record 1,498%, the caucus says.
-
China6 days agoChinese Media Showcases President Xi’s Trip to Russia
-
China5 days agoNorth Korea tests missiles in simulated Nuclear counterattack
-
Nation4 days agoHouse demands Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to release communications on ‘unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority’ against Trump
-
Immigration4 days agoTexas, U.S. officials warn Americans not to travel to Mexico as cartel violence escalates
