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A Texas National Guard soldier has been convicted of smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S.
Federal authorities announced details about the investigation following a one-day trial on July 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Mario Sandoval, a 27-year-old resident of Houston, was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens.
Sandoval was deployed to help secure the border as part of Operation Lone Star, but following release from his orders, he stayed in the Rio Grande Valley to participate in human smuggling operations.
“During his trial, the jury was provided with text messages from Sandoval’s phone expressing that drivers were needed for trips from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations north of the immigration checkpoint,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained in a press release.
“Surveillance showed Sandoval’s location at the immigration checkpoint while he was sending text messages about law enforcement and K-9 patrol presence.”
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning a guilty verdict.
“Driven exclusively by greed, this individual betrayed the solemn oath he swore to defend when he enlisted in the National Guard,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz.
“His actions directly undermined the very mission he was deployed to support and put his fellow guard members in danger. Working closely with our partners, we were able to expose his scheme and hold him accountable for this unconscionable betrayal of our nation’s trust.”
Sandoval was discharged from the Texas National Guard in October of 2024.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
