Gulfport, Miss. – Yerdinson Rodriguez-Tavarez, a 24 year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. living in Texas, pled guilty Friday before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to the crime of transporting an illegal alien within the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.

Rodriguez-Tavarez is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on January 24, 2019. He faces a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with special assessments that could total $5,100. He also will be subject to Department of Homeland Security immigration removal proceedings.

On August 6, 2018, a South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team Agent, who also is an officer with the Gautier Police Department, was on duty along Interstate 10 eastbound in Jackson County. The Metro Enforcement Team is an interagency task force that patrols known smuggling routes in Jackson County including I-10. Around 7:45 a.m., the agent stopped a 2015 Toyota Corolla with a fraudulent Texas license paper tag. The task force agent’s training and experience led him to believe that he had interrupted an alien smuggling event in progress, and he called the U.S. Border Patrol.

Ultimately, the driver was arrested for transporting illegal aliens. His five passengers were arrested for being illegally present in the United States, and all were transported to the Gulfport Border Patrol Station for processing. At the Border Patrol Station, two of the five illegal alien passengers were identified as having been previously lawfully removed from the United States.

U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the coordinated work of the United States Border Patrol, the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, and the Gautier Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.