San Diego

Two alien smugglers who sheared the head of an illegal migrant after a dispute over payment were sentenced Wednesday to the time they had already spent in jail and handed over to federal immigration officials.

Ramiro Varcenas Monticinas, 30, and Gerardo Perez Ortiz, 22, had pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. San Diego Municipal Judge Nicholas Kasimatis sentenced them to the 63 days they had already spent in jail and placed them three years probation.

Javier Garcia Robles, 20, of Juarez, Mexico, had testified Oct. 2 that Monticinas sheared his head Sept. 20 after Ortiz gave him the shears.

Robles said Monticinas demanded to be paid for smuggling him across the border, but Robles told him that he had promised another smuggler he would work off the debt. Monticinas became angry and threatened him at knifepoint, Robles said.

Robles escaped from the drop house for illegal migrants at 42nd and Market Streets, where the incident took place, and called police, who arrested the pair shortly afterwards.

There were a number of other incidents of illegal migrants having their heads sheared in September, but attorney Kerry Steigerwalt, who represented Ortiz, claimed the two men were not responsible for any of those incidents.