Long Island Resident Convicted at Trial of Transporting Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Omar Mera-Marquez, age 46, of Medford, New York, was convicted today following a jury trial of transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

The trial evidence demonstrated that on October 3, 2023, Mera-Marquez and an accomplice, Jose Calva-Cruz, agreed to drive from Long Island to Fort Covington, New York, near the U.S.-Canadian border, to pick up three men from Mexico who had recently crossed into the United States illegally, in exchange for $1,500. At 3 a.m. on October 4, 2023, Mera-Marquez and Calva-Cruz arrived at the pickup location, which was a motel parking lot just a mile from the border. Mera-Marquez, who was driving a dark SUV with Kansas license plates, stopped in the parking lot just long enough for the three men to run up to the vehicle and jump in. All of this was observed by an agent from U.S. Border Patrol, who was watching the parking lot that evening. Border Patrol agents pulled over the vehicle and everyone was arrested. Calva-Cruz previously pled guilty for his role in the offense and was subsequently deported.

The charge for which Mera-Marquez was convicted today carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. The defendant will be sentenced on September 17, 2024, by United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino, who presided over the trial.

United States Border Patrol investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Melissa O. Rothbart are prosecuting the case.