Houston woman sentenced for illegally transporting aliens

TYLER – A Houston woman has been sentenced in Tyler federal court to 18 months prison for illegal transport of aliens. According to a news release, Maria Elizabeth Lopez, 48, pleaded guilty on August 18, 2022, to engaging in a conspiracy to transport certain aliens for commercial and private financial gain. According to information presented in court, on October 3, 2021, deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office stopped Lopez for a traffic violation and discovered 24 Hispanic individuals in the Chevrolet Suburban she was driving. Federal agents responded to the scene and determined that each of the passengers in the Suburban had illegally entered the United States and that Lopez had been hired to transport the individuals to destinations in Mississippi and Florida. Lopez also admitted during the investigation that she had previously transported illegal aliens in the same manner.