Jury Seated in Case of Immigrant Smuggling
From Times Wire Reports
A jury was selected in Houston in the first trial stemming from the nation’s deadliest human smuggling attempt -- a May 2003 journey that ended in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants in a stifling trailer.
Victor Jesus Rodriguez, Claudia Carrizales de Villa and Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar each face 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Each faces up to life in prison if convicted. Opening statements were to begin today; prosecutors expect the trial to last a month.
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