2 Indicted for Leading Woman on Fatal Journey
Two suspected immigrant smugglers were indicted on federal charges in connection with an Aug. 20 incident in which a woman died as she and her five children were led across the desert in Imperial County.
Jorge Zamudio Velasquez, 28, and Sergio Juarez Torres, 31, face 14 counts, including smuggling and transportation of immigrants resulting in death, officials said.
Maria Pacheco Madera, 38, died of exposure after being abandoned by the smugglers, according to the U.S. Border Patrol account. The children, ages 9 to 17, survived and have been returned to their father.
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