RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A father and son duo living in Reno have been arrested and charged with harboring illegal aliens.
The DOJ says that, starting in July 2021, and continuing to March 11 of this year, 43-year-old Carlos Recinos-Valdez and his son, 20-year-old Kevin Recinos-Ruano conspired with each other to harbor the illegal aliens for personal financial gain.
Police conducted a search of their home and allegedly found guns, fraudulent documents and other items entered into evidence.
The DOJ alleges that Recinos-Valdez orchestrated the illegal smuggling of the migrants through a network of human smugglers and traffickers located throughout Guatemala, Mexico and the U.S. They say Recinos-Valdez has locations in his apartment complexes where he housed the migrants in the Reno area.
Recinos-Valdez and the network he allegedly worked for are accused of charging thousands of dollars for each person smuggled into the U.S. According to the indictment, once in Reno, Recinos-Valdez demands money from the victims as a way to pay off their debt to the smuggling network.
He is accused of meeting the victims at their residence or place of employment to collect regular payments for smuggling fees, with victims allegedly being threatened with physical violence if payments were not received. The DOJ says Recinos-Ruano assisted in collecting payments and would act as an enforcer.
Recinos-Valdez is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens, three counts of harboring illegal aliens, and two counts of aiding and abetting attempted interference with commerce by extortion.
Recinos-Ruano is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.
If convicted Recinos-Valdez faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, while Recinos-Ruano faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
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