TAMPA, Fla. – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced today that Timoteo Son-Gonzalez, 40, a Guatemalan national, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to human smuggling and immigration violations.
Son-Gonzalez entered guilty pleas to charges of unlawful transportation of an illegal alien for the purpose of financial gain and illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. According to the announcement, he faces a maximum potential sentence of 12 years in federal prison. A date for his sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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Court documents reveal that the charges stem from an incident in February 2025. Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Son-Gonzalez. Inside the vehicle, agents discovered six passengers, all determined to be unlawfully present in the United States. Subsequent interviews with the passengers led investigators to conclude that Son-Gonzalez was transporting them for financial profit.
Furthermore, agents determined that Son-Gonzalez himself was illegally present in the country. Records confirmed he had been previously removed from the United States in June 2024.
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The investigation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, specifically the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney is prosecuting the case.
Officials noted that this case falls under the umbrella of “Operation Take Back America.”
This Department of Justice initiative aims to leverage departmental resources, including those from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), to combat illegal immigration, target cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and enhance community safety.
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