Chicago-area man indicted on charges of smuggling, transporting and harboring illegal aliens

ROCKFORD, Ill. — An Illinois man was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on several counts of illegally bringing aliens to the U.S., transporting them and harboring them for his personal financial gain.

This indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr., Northern District of Illinois, and Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The DeKalb (Illinois) Police Department assisted in this investigation.

Luis Alfredo Delacruz, 49, from DeKalb, Illinois, was indicted on the following charges:

• two counts of bringing aliens into the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry for commercial advantage or private financial gain;
• two counts of bringing aliens into the U.S. at a place other than a designated port of entry;
• two counts of transporting illegal aliens within the U.S. for commercial advantage or private financial gain; and,
• eight counts of harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain.

As alleged in the indictment, in November 2015 and April 2016, Delacruz brought into the United States two aliens who had not received prior official authorization to enter. Delacruz did not bring them through immigration at a designated port of entry, the indictment states.

It is further alleged that on June 1, 2018, Delacruz illegally harbored eight illegal aliens in buildings or other places through employment at Alfredo’s Iron Works in Cortland. Delacruz allegedly harbored these aliens for commercial advantage and his own financial gain.

Each count of bringing aliens into the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry for commercial advantage or private financial gain carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum of 10 years.

Each count of bringing aliens to the U.S. at a place other than a designated port of entry carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Each count of transporting illegal aliens within the U.S. for commercial advantage or private financial gain, and each count of harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Each count in the indictment also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, and a period of supervised release following imprisonment of up to three years.

If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Delacruz is scheduled to appear for arraignment on April 23 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Iain D. Johnston in Rockford, Illinois.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen, Northern District of Illinois, prosecuted this case.