An illegal immigrant pleads guilty to driving other illegal immigrants across the country for money.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Pedro Antonio Antonio Mateo admitted to the crime in Roanoke Federal Court today (Wednesday, May 21st).
10 On Your Side's Scott Leamon first uncovered the case, after a State Police Trooper pulled Mateo over on I-81 in Botetourt Co. back in April. Investigators say Mateo was driving a large SUV on I-81 northbound, past Troutville.
Officers with the state police criminal interdiction team stopped the SUV, after an alleged traffic violation on April 11th.
Federal court records show agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, believe Mateo, was hired by eleven illegal aliens inside the SUV to ferry them from Phoenix, Arizona to the east coast.
The same records show one of the passengers escaped by running from the SUV. The remaining ten passengers, along with Mateo, were taken into custody. The records read three of the passengers were juveniles and turned over to the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Three days later, court records show ICE agents interviewed the seven adult passengers. All seven people told agents Mateo made them "duck and hide" upon his command if he saw police, according to the documents.
The documents also state the seven people told agents Mateo made them use the restroom in plastic bottles, and only stopped for food once on the entire trip.
The documents say all seven will eventually be deported since all were determined to be illegal aliens.
The U.S. Attorney's Office now says the none of the illegal immigrants were heading to a location in Virginia.
Mateo faces up to ten years in prision, and a fine of $250,000. He will be sentenced in August.
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