Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Transporting Aliens in Upstate New York
Faraon Chavez-Rosas was sentenced to two months' imprisonment, according to an announcement by federal prosecutors and the Border Patrol dated August 17, 2026.
According to the case announcement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York on August 17, 2026, 25-year-old Faraon Chavez-Rosas, of Mexico, pled guilty on Tuesday, July 28, to one count of transporting aliens in federal district court.
The August 17, 2026, announcement was made jointly by two officials: First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, whose office prosecuted the case, and Richard J. Fortunato, the Acting Chief Patrol Agent for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, who oversees the agency's Swanton Sector covering the border region where the arrest occurred.
The record states that on May 24, 2026, United States Border Patrol detected three individuals crossing the United States-Canada border near Churubusco, New York. Agents observed a vehicle enter the area of the crossing and leave moments later, then stopped the vehicle and identified Chavez-Rosas as the driver, along with three passengers. Agents determined that Chavez-Rosas and the three individuals had no legal right to be in the United States. After questioning, Chavez-Rosas admitted that he was asked and then drove to pick up his brother and two individuals at the border.
Sarcone said in the announcement, "Our northern border remains a central focus of this administration's efforts to combat illegal immigration. This defendant's attempt to smuggle three individuals into the United States was stopped thanks to the vigilance and quick action of U.S. Border Patrol agents. I commend their decisive work in identifying and investigating this vehicle, ultimately disrupting an attempted alien‑smuggling operation."
Fortunato, the Swanton Sector's Acting Chief Patrol Agent, said, "I commend the agents of Swanton Sector for their hard work in contributing to the successful prosecution of those who commit crimes along our nation's borders. Our efforts help protect and improve the quality of life for border communities and for those in the interior of our country."
United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino sentenced Chavez-Rosas to two months' imprisonment. Following his sentence, according to the record, Chavez-Rosas is subject to deportation. The United States Border Patrol investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Whalen prosecuted it.
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- Version 118 Aug 2026, 13:52
First published.
- Version 118 Aug 2026, 13:23current
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