ADVERTISEMENT 2
ADVERTISEMENT 3
Error: No articles to display
ADVERTISEMENT 1
ADVERTISEMENT 4
MONAHANS, Texas (AP) —
Parts of rural West Texas have been shaken by a minor earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.2 magnitude quake happened at 3:43 p.m. CST Tuesday.
The quake was centered 19 miles south-southwest of Monahans (MAH'-nuh-hanz). The area is about 47 miles southwest of Odessa.
A message left with the Ward County Sheriff's Office in Monahans wasn't immediately returned Wednesday.
McALLEN, Texas –
Two men have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, marijuana and conspiring to launder drug proceeds, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Francisco Javier Gonzalez, 39, of San Juan, and Osmar Alexander Gonzalez, 35, of Houston, entered guilty pleas Jan. 31, 2013, and March 27, 2013, respectively.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Francisco Gonzalez to serve 120 months in federal prison, while Osmar Gonzalez received a 144-month term. The prison terms will be immediately followed by a five-year-term of supervised release.
The investigation revealed that during 2010 and 2011, Francisco Gonzalez and others conspired to transport large amounts of marijuana from the Rio Grande Valley to various destinations via tractor-trailers. During the investigation, law enforcement was able to seize several loads of marijuana, including 1,512 kilograms, 980 kilograms and 890 kilograms on May 10, 2010, Oct. 9, 2010, and Jan. 27, 2011, respectively.
The defendants and others also conspired to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston and elsewhere. Agents seized more than $96,000 on Aug. 25, 2011 - the proceeds of the narcotics distribution.
Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Sturgis prosecuted the case.
In San Antonio, federal authorities have arrested two individuals indicted on federal charges in connection with a scheme to provide drivers’ licenses to undocumented aliens announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
A six-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed yesterday, charges 53-year-old Jose A. Ytuarte, a former Texas Department of Public Safety Customer Service Representative in Hondo, TX, and 44-year-old Azeez Mistry of San Antonio with one count of conspiracy to transfer false identification documents, one count of transfer of false identification documents, and four counts of use of an interstate communication facility in aid of unlawful activity. According to the indictment, the defendants conspired from May 2013 to July 2015 to transfer identification documents, namely drivers licenses, knowing that such documents were produced without lawful authority. The indictment alleges that Mistry would direct undocumented and documented aliens who could not get a driver’s license legally to Ytuarte. Mistry would charge between $1,000 and $5,000 for each license and then pay a portion of that fee to Ytuarte as a cash bribe. The indictment further alleges that Ytuarte would input materially fraudulent information, namely that the individual was born in the United States, into the DPS computer system in order to process and issue a driver’s license to each undocumented alien.
Authorities arrested Mistry yesterday; Ytuarte, on Friday. Both have been released on bond pending further court proceedings.
Upon conviction, the defendants face up to 15 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Texas Rangers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Christina Playton is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.