A federal grand jury in the District of New Mexico returned a superseding indictment charging Wilfrido Saenz, 29; Ignacio Jaramillo, 22; and his brother, Ismael Jaramillo, 35, all of New Mexico, for their roles in a scheme to transport aliens and later murder a witness to that crime.
According to court documents, between June 2021 and April 2024, Saenz, Ignacio Jaramillo, and Ismael Jaramillo conspired to transport illegal aliens. Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo are also charged with conspiracy to kill a witness in April 2024 in retaliation for providing law enforcement information about the scheme to transport illegal aliens.
“The superseding indictment in this case highlights the dangers associated with human smuggling,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The criminal networks engaging in this do not care about the people they are smuggling. They only care about money and themselves. They endanger lives and will commit heinous crimes if they believe their network has been exposed and their livelihood is on the line. Through Joint Task Force Alpha working with the District of New Mexico, DOJ will prosecute this case to the end with the victims at the forefront of seeking justice.”
“Human smuggling operations fuel violence, exploit vulnerable people, and threaten the safety of communities on both sides of the border,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “The allegations in this case reflect the ruthless nature of these criminal organizations and the lengths they are willing to go to protect their operations. Alongside our dedicated law enforcement partners, our office remains unwavering in our commitment to disrupt these networks and hold those who orchestrate them fully accountable.”
“Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) efforts to dismantle human smuggling organizations directly enhance public safety by disrupting criminal networks that endanger lives and exploit vulnerable individuals,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McRae of the HSI El Paso Field Office. “By targeting those who profit from illegal smuggling, HSI protects communities from associated violence and criminal activity, ensuring safer neighborhoods. HSI will not tolerate individuals who attempt to obstruct justice or intimidate those who cooperate with law enforcement.”
“The charges announced today send a clear message: individuals who engage in organized criminal activity, exploit vulnerable people, or resort to violence to obstruct justice will face the full weight of the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “The FBI and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to community safety, combating violent crime, and bringing justice to victim’s families.”
Saenz, Ignacio Jaramillo, and Ismael Jaramillo are charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens while Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo are charged with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness resulting in her death. If convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, Saenz and Ignacio and Ismael Jaramillo each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. If convicted of conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo face a maximum penalty of life in prison. Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo are also charged with two counts each of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Saenz had previously been convicted of alien smuggling, fraudulently obtaining a motor vehicle, and possession of drug paraphernalia, among other offenses. Ignacio Jaramillo was previously convicted in New Mexico of aggravated assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, a fourth-degree felony. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Maria Armijo for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case.
These charges and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF Region II CORE 7 is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), IRS Criminal Investigation, Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations (OFO), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Air and Marine (AMO), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Joint Task Force North (JTF-N), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
The investigation and indictment were supported by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 458 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 408 U.S. convictions; and more than 357 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
