Tucson Standard

A 43 year old Hermosillo, Mexico native who has been living in Tucson was sentenced to 72 months in prison after pleading guilty to the transportation of illegal aliens. 

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Luis Carlos Ballesteros-Moreno was stopped by agents of the United States Border Patrol on March 27, 2023. At the checkpoint, agents eventually discovered that Ballesteros-Moreno was not the sole occupant of his vehicle and that there was an 18 year old woman hidden instead the mounted toolbox in the truck bed. 

The young woman was reported to be an illegal alien which Ballesteros-Moreno was transporting for purposes of financial gain. She also reported that Ballesteros-Moreno sexually assaulted her during the process. 

Ballesteros was investigated by the Tuscon Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Cochise County Sheriff’s department. Evidence of the sexual assault and of a high risk of death or serious bodily injury to the young woman was found. Ballesteros pled guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person on September 20, 2023. He was sentenced in Feb. of 2024.