According to the suspect, the girl claims that she paid other people to drive her car during alleged smuggling runs in order to appear as a “normal” family.
The incidents at the El Paso Bridge of the Americas port of entry on May 8 led to the accusations brought against April Cornejo, Candy Cornejo, Isaac David Cornejo, and Brian Chairez.
A dark Chevrolet Tahoe with Texas registration plates driven by April Cornejo walked up to a border patrol station carrying three people and two kids that morning. A CBP officer inquired as to the children’s names in the car and was able to identify one, but the other inhabitants informed him that the other one was ill and unable to speak.
Documents obtained by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas claim that the SUV and its owners were taken to a secondary observation area where border agents suspected the second child to be a Mexican girl who was entering illegally while conducting a figure search and that a concealed Hispanic passport belonging to the teen was discovered on April Cornejo.
April Cornejo allegedly claimed in an interview with prosecutors that unknown parties paid her$ 1,200 for every unaccompanied small she was able to enter the country illegally between the age of 15 and 17 she received. Pay went off to$ 1, 700 for every child aged 18 to 20, posing as a family member, court documents allege.
According to the allegations, April Cornejo promised to pay$ 500 to her and$ 500 to Mexican travel companions Isaac Cornejo and Brian Chairez.
According to a criminal complaint, Isaac Cornejo claimed to have been “assisting” April Cornejo for two weeks in the trafficking of illicit minors and that the purpose of having so many people in the car was to show up to CBP as a “normal” home at the port of entry. He reportedly claimed that during that time, he had crossed into the United States with April Cornejo “approximately once or twice a year.”
Chairez reportedly claimed that this was his third day traveling with April Cornejo while bringing young women across the borders. Candy Cornejo reportedly claimed to have been paid on at least one situation to claim that the unauthorized minor was her niece.
The four defendants face federal charges of conspiracy to import and transport illegal creatures without their consent, as well as of actually doing so. Representatives from the federal government did not respond right away to inquire as to whether Candy, April, and Isaac Cornejo are related.
