ICE HSI investigation results in Dallas man pleading guilty to assaulting a federal officer

PECOS, Texas – A Dallas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to transporting noncitizens and assaulting a federal officer.

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

According to court documents, Jose Alejandro Crecencio, 21, was parked in a Chevy Tahoe at the Big Bend National Park Visitor’s Center when a U.S. Border Patrol agent attempted to make contact with him. Crecencio sped away from the area and a short time later, six individuals were observed by the Border Patrol agent and a park ranger exiting the stopped Tahoe and absconding into the nearby brush.

Crecencio sped away again with the Border Patrol agent in pursuit. A little while later, Crecencio made a U-turn and drove directly toward the agent’s vehicle, forcing the agent off the roadway. Later he stopped the Tahoe and absconded on foot. Shortly thereafter, Border Patrol agents took Crecencio into custody.

Other Border Patrol agents in the area detained two of the six individuals who absconded from the Tahoe. Both individuals were identified as noncitizens.

Crecencio pleaded guilty to transporting a noncitizen in violation of Title 8, U.S.C. 1324, and forcibly assaulting a federal officer in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. 111. He is set to be sentenced on March 29 and faces up to five years in prison on the transporting charge, and up to 20 years in prison on the assault charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance L. Kennedy is prosecuting the case.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission in your community @HSIElPaso.