Mastermind of international alien smuggling organization sentenced to 9 years

Socorro, Texas, man conspired with other ‘coyotes’ to smuggle more than 1,500 illegal aliens.

EL PASO, Texas - A U.S. district judge on Friday sentenced the leader and organizer of a major alien smuggling network to nine years in federal prison and three years' supervised released for his role in a criminal enterprise that smuggled and transported more than 1,500 illegal aliens into the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the two-year investigation.

Samuel Walter Jarvis, 54, of Socorro, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo, to 108 months in federal prison. Judge Montalvo also ordered that Jarvis pay a $5,000 fine. ICE special agents arrested Jarvis and 14 other members of two alien smuggling organizations in January. They were all charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens.

On Aug. 7, Jarvis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to smuggle aliens. Jarvis admitted that from March 2003 to December 2005, he led a ring that was responsible for smuggling aliens into the United States and transporting them from El Paso to the Dallas area.

“ICE will continue to seek the prosecution of unscrupulous smugglers who operate ruthlessly with no regard for the human beings whose lives they endanger,” said David F. Fry, acting special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso.