Tennessee Man Sentenced For Illegal Alien Smuggling

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX.- A 38-year-old Chattanooga, Tennessee, man will be spending the next year-and-a-half in federal prison after being sentenced last Wednesday for smuggling a truckload of illegal aliens across the southern border in Falfurrias, Texas.

     According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Josef Alquan Rutley, 38, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge David Morales to 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty on February 18, 2025, to Unlawfully Transporting Illegal Aliens.

     During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Morales heard additional evidence that described the dangerous way the 22 illegal aliens from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico were locked into the trailer with no way to escape. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted the large number of aliens and their inability to escape in the event of an emergency. 

According To Charging Documents Filed With The Court

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, on December 19, 2024, Rutley approached the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint driving a tractor-trailer. During his initial screening with Border Patrol agents, Rutley informed the agents that he was traveling to Laredo, Texas, and denied having any passengers, stating that he was seeking a potential cargo load. 

     Border Patrol agents observed that Rutley appeared nervous and avoided eye contact with agents, which prompted a secondary inspection of the vehicle. An X-ray scan of the trailer revealed 22 illegal aliens locked inside the trailer with no means of escape.

     Following the discovery of the illegal aliens hidden in the trailer, Rutley was taken into custody and charged and has remained in federal custody since his arrest. He will now be transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prison to serve the remainder of his federal term of imprisonment.