Central Florida man sentenced to 27 months for conspiring to transport illegal aliens

TAMPA, Fla. — A Plant City, Fla., man was sentenced Wednesday to 27 months in federal prison for conspiring to transport 100 or more illegal aliens.

According to court documents, Herman Vazquez-Padilla, 32, conspired with proprietors of Pinellas County-based businesses to recruit and transport illegal aliens as employees for those businesses. After a business owner requested new employees, Vazquez-Padilla would find prospective workers and bring them to the business. He charged the new workers recruitment and transportation fees. Since 2010, Vazquez-Padilla recruited and transported more than 100 illegal aliens.

Vazquez-Padilla pleaded guilty June 26.

This case was investigated by the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clearwater Police Department.