Avondale man pleads guilty to conspiracy after undocumented migrant dies

PHOENIX — An Avondale man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal migrants for profit on Monday, officials announced.

The United States Attorney’s office for the District of Arizona said that leading up to March 2024, 23-year-old Nathan Espinoza Jr. helped at least 25 undocumented migrants gain transportation into the U.S.

Espinoza was allegedly paid about $1,000 for each undocumented migrant he helped transport into the country.

Why did the Avondale man plead guilty?

Espinoza also admitted that on March 6, 2024, he coordinated a transport where an undocumented migrant died.

The driver of the transport, 20-year-old Cesar Abraam Velasquez-Munoz, was sentenced to 52 months in prison.

Meanwhile the passenger, Steven Beltran-Lugo, was sentenced to over 3 years in prison.

During the transport, Border Patrol agents started following the vehicle, and Velazquez-Munoz ordered the undocumented migrants to get out of the car.

One of the migrants jumped out while it was traveling around 45 mph.

Velazquez-Munoz then sped up the vehicle, at which point the second migrant jumped out and hit the pavement hard, triggering a brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding, prosecutors said.

The second migrant died from the injuries at a hospital two days later.

If convicted, Espinoza faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250 million.

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