Cesar David Martinez-Gonzalez, a 40-year-old Venezuelan, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for his role in a migrant smuggling scheme, according to US Attorney David Metcalf. Martinez-Gonzalez was also ordered by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to pay restitution in the amount of $20,560.
Martinez-Gonzalez, who lived in Chester, Pennsylvania, was indicted in July and pled guilty in November. He was accused of plotting to smuggle aliens into the United States unlawfully and supporting their illegal admission for financial benefit. The indictment alleged five charges of inciting and inducing illegal entry, as well as four counts of transferring fraudulent identification documents. Martinez-Gonzalez and his friends assisted migrants in entering the United States through unlawful means, collaborating with coyotes at the US-Mexico border, escorting them across the Rio Grande, and giving cover stories for Customs and Border Protection officials. They also helped the migrants travel to Pennsylvania.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Martinez-Gonzalez ensnared migrants in debts that often amounted to tens of thousands of dollars while in Pennsylvania. Migrants were compelled to work long hours in factories, paying Martinez-Gonzalez half of their weekly earnings, and he also assisted them in obtaining bogus identities in order to get work through staffing agencies.
“Martinez-Gonzalez committed an egregious offense against our country’s citizens as well as the illegal immigrants he smuggled into it,” U.S. Attorney Metcalf stated in a release from the US Attorney’s Office. He emphasized the gravity of actions that undermine the United States’ immigration system and abuse vulnerable people for personal profit. The case highlighted federal authorities’ attempts to combat such crimes, with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General undertaking a two-year investigation that identified over 100 migrants transported through this system.
Edward V. Owens, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia, stated in the same announcement, “This investigation demonstrates the essential role that Homeland Security Investigations plays in dismantling human smuggling networks that abuse vulnerable persons for personal gain. Martinez-Gonzalez not only broke our country’s immigration laws but also preyed on the hopes and dreams of individuals looking for a better life, trapping them in a cycle of debt and exploitation.” The inquiry also indicated that Martinez-Gonzalez continued his smuggling activities even after receiving Temporary Protected Status in March 2024. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara A. Solow, Louis D. Lappen, Eileen Castilla Geiger, and J. Andrew Jenemann handled the prosecution of the case.