In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Alia Moses ordered that Rocha pay

$10,481.20 restitution to his victims and forfeit to the Government his real property located in Carrizo

Springs where the crimes were committed.

“As this sentence makes clear, those who exploit people in this brutal way will themselves face serious

consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, HSI San Antonio. “Alien smugglers view

their clients as nothing more than a payday and they have no qualms about using threats and violence

to collect their smuggling fees.”

On April 23, 2015, a federal jury convicted Rocha of two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage

taking; conspiracy to transport illegal aliens involving serious bodily injury; conspiracy to transport

illegal aliens involving serious bodily injury; and, three separate counts of harboring an illegal alien

involving serious bodily injury.

Evidence presented during trial revealed that Rocha, Sr. operated his smuggling cell between Carrizo

Springs and Piedras Negras, Mexico since at least 2013. Rocha, Sr. claimed to be affiliated with Los

Zetas, a trans-national Drug Trafficking Organization operating out of Mexico. Members of Rocha,

Sr.’s cell had used buildings located at Rocha’s Carrizo Springs property to hold the illegal aliens

before transport further into the United States. Witnesses testified that Rocha held the aliens against

their will in an effort to extort more money from family members in the United States.

Evidence also revealed that Rocha ordered his accomplices to torture the illegal aliens being held

captive in an effort to extort money. A female was raped multiple times, and family members were

made to listen over the telephone as aliens were tortured with a hammer, and threatened with

decapitation and mutilation. A family member in Virginia called 911, which prompted a rescue

operation by Dimmit County Sherriff’s Deputies, Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, and

U.S. Border Patrol on May 4, 2014.

Today, Judge Moses also sentenced two co-conspirators--34-year-old Atanacio Daniel Castro and 24–

year-old Eduardo Rocha, Jr.—to 20 and 15 years in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in the

criminal operation.

Three other codefendants--40-year-old Christopher Jones, 34-year-old Tara Cournoyer, and 27–yearold

Esmeralda Cruz--were sentenced last year to 66 months, 65 months and 71 months in federal

prison, respectively, for their roles in the conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens involving serious

bodily injury.

This case was investigated by HSI agents out of Eagle Pass, TX, with the support of the Dimmit

County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Texas Department of Public Safety criminal

laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Watters and

Patrick Burke.