San Antonio truck driver pleads guilty in fatal human smuggling case

A man from San Antonio, 61, pleaded guilty to two federal accusations in the human smuggling incident which led to the death of 10 undocumented immigrants this summer.

James Matthew Bradley Jr., who appeared on Monday before an American magistrate judge, pleaded guilty to “a conspiracy chief to transport foreigners leading to death and a head of transport of foreigners leading to death,” said a statement from the American prosecutor’s office for the Western District of Texas.

The office added that Bradley’s guilt admission meant that he had wrapped dozens of unauthorized immigrants in a semi-trailer for financial gain, adding that the suspect confirmed that the details of court documents were “factually correct”.

On July 23, the San Antonio police responded to a call from a Walmart employee shortly after midnight. Once the officers have arrived, they found 39 immigrants on the scene. Among those transported in the semi-trailer, eight were found dead at the back of the trailer, while two died later in neighboring hospitals, according to the press release.

The incident survivors said there was no air conditioning in the overheated trailer and had to take turns to breathe through a hole at the back of the air truck. Bradley also initially told investigators that he was not aware of immigrants from the trailer until he stopped at Walmart in San Antonio for bathroom break.

The lawyer’s office also said Bradley risks up to life prison with accusations and that he should be sentenced in January 2018. Immigrants declared that there were up to 200 people transported on the trailer and that different costs had been cited for the journey to the north from the American-mexic border, added the statement.

Jason Buch de San Antonio Express-News told Newshour earlier this year that agents of the border patrol in Laredo, Texas, reported an increase in immigrants using semi-trailers to obtain border control points.

“People generally go to the main metropolitan regions or regions of the country who employ many immigrant workers, therefore, areas with large agricultural industries or construction booms,” said Buch.

Shane M. Folden, a special agent in charge of internal security surveys in San Antonio, said in the press release that the procedure “helps close the door on one of the conspirators responsible for causing tragic loss of life and wreaking havoc on those who survived this horrible incident.”

“This case is a blatant reminder that extraterrestrial smugglers are motivated by greed and have little respect for the health and well-being of their human cargo, which can prove to be a deadly combination,” he added.

Bradley’s co -feemer, Pedro Silva Segura, was also charged last month with faces of two conspiracy chiefs and two non -paper immigrants, causing serious bodily injuries and putting lives in danger.

Segura, 47, is an undocumented immigrant who lives in Laredo, Texas.