2 brothers from Mexico sentenced in Missouri for unlawfully harboring illegal aliens

ST. LOUIS — Two brothers from Mexico, who were previously deported and later illegally re-entered the United States, were sentenced Tuesday for harboring illegal aliens.

These sentences resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Department of Labor.

Agustin Lopez-Guzman and Alonso Lopez-Guzman, both of Maryland Heights, Missouri, were sentenced Sept. 30 to five years and two years in federal prison, respectively.

According to court documents, the Lopez-Guzman brothers, who were both illegally residing in the United States, transported several young adults and a minor from Mexico and forced them to work in various local businesses to pay off their smuggling debts.  To secure repayment for each person’s smuggling debt, the brothers used various methods of enforcement, including forcing victims to reside in overcrowded living conditions, and threatening harm to the victims’ family members.  Agustin Lopez-Guzman also used rape as a method of enforcement.

Agustin Lopez-Guzman and Alonso Lopez-Guzman both pleaded guilty in June to one felony count each of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens and illegal re-entry after deportation. They appeared Tuesday for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig.

The Missouri police departments of Bridgeton and Maryland Heights also assisted with this investigation.