Luis Carlos Ballesteros-Moreno, 43, of Hermosillo, Mexico, recently living in Tucson, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 6 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On September 20, 2023, Ballesteros-Moreno pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person.

On March 27, 2023, Ballesteros-Moreno was encountered by United States Border Patrol agents at the State Route 90 checkpoint. At the time, he appeared to be the only occupant of his vehicle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Approximately an hour into the encounter, Ballesteros-Moreno informed agents that a female person was hidden inside a commercial-sized toolbox mounted in the truck bed. Upon opening the toolbox, agents discovered an 18-year-old female. She was determined to be an undocumented noncitizen that Ballesteros-Moreno was transporting for financial gain. The young woman reported to law enforcement that she had been sexually assaulted by Ballesteros-Moreno during the transportation.

During sentencing, evidence was presented substantiating the sexual assault. The judge found that Ballesteros-Moreno created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury via the method of transporting the young woman in the exterior toolbox, and that he sexually assaulted and involuntarily detained her during the transportation.

Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol, Tucson Sector, and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.