A Guatemalan man residing unlawfully in Massachusetts, Esdras Aaron Calel-Cumes, has pleaded guilty in Concord federal court to the charge of transporting an unlawful alien. This information was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. Calel-Cumes entered his guilty plea to the charge of Bringing in and Harboring Certain Aliens, and U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante has set the sentencing for August 11, 2025.
Court documents reveal that on September 9, 2024, Calel-Cumes traveled from Massachusetts to Pittsburg, New Hampshire, to pick up Luis Felipe Xiloj-Ambrocio, who had illegally crossed from Canada into the United States. Both men were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while driving south on U.S. Route 3. Neither Calel-Cumes nor Xiloj-Ambrocio has legal immigration status in the United States.
Previously, Xiloj-Ambrocio pleaded guilty to illegal entry and has since been deported. Calel-Cumes also faces deportation to Guatemala after serving his sentence. The applicable statute mandates a sentence of up to five years in prison, a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a fine not exceeding $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
The investigation into the case was led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuting. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, while protecting communities from violent crime. This effort leverages resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.