Arizona man sentenced to 5 years for smuggling migrants in the US illegally
Dec 22, 2023, 11:30 AM
Leonard Thomas Stewart, III, was sentenced to over 15 years in prison for abusive sexual contact of a child. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
PHOENIX — An Arizona man was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison last week for smuggling migrants, authorities announced Thursday.
Clifford Valisto’s prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The 63-year-old Tucson resident is a repeat offender. He also received a 12-month concurrent sentence for violating probation conditions from a previous human smuggling conviction.
The new five-year sentence came after Valisto pleaded guilty in October to a charge of transportation of illegal aliens for profit.
RELATED STORIES
Prosecutors say Valisto, 63, was caught transporting six undocumented migrants, including an unaccompanied 15-year-old, in a Ford F-150 on July 19 of this year.
Witnesses reported that he was struggling to control his vehicle and seemed to be falling asleep as he approached a Border Patrol checkpoint.
All of the passengers were found to be in the country illegally.
