A Cuban national residing in Jacksonville, Florida, has been found guilty by a federal jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, for transporting seven illegal aliens. U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the conviction of 52-year-old Jorge Grimon Maturell after a trial lasting less than two days.
The incident occurred on November 1, 2024, when Maturell drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in a tractor-trailer. A K-9 unit alerted authorities to the vehicle, leading to a secondary inspection where three individuals were discovered hiding in the sleeper area and four beneath a mattress. All seven lacked legal authority to be in the United States.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Maturell had $20,684 with him and communications indicating plans to transport people for about that same amount of money. He initially claimed an unknown person threatened him at a gas station in Edinburg to smuggle the aliens but later admitted he was actually threatened in Laredo.
The jury heard testimony that Maturell instructed the aliens on where to hide and advised them to remain silent at the checkpoint. Despite his defense of acting under duress, the jury did not accept this claim and found him guilty.
U.S. District Judge David Morales presided over the trial and scheduled sentencing for June 25. Maturell could face up to five years in federal prison. After being released on bond previously, he was taken into custody following the verdict and will remain detained until sentencing.
Customs and Border Protection led the investigation with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Patrick Overman prosecuting.