A 23-year-old Avondale man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine as much as $250 million.

Nathan Jr. Espinoza is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 16.

Espinoza admitted in his plea that for a period of time leading up to March 2024, he “recruited human smuggling drivers and coordinated the transportation of illegal aliens from areas near the Mexico border to places further in the interior of the United States,” according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Arizona district.

Espinoza’s involvement in the conspiracy was for personal financial gain and led to at least 25 individuals receiving transportation, authorities said.

Espinoza also admitted that on March 6, 2024, he coordinated “an event in which a driver and a front-seat passenger picked up two illegal aliens near Lukeville, Arizona.

“At some point while they were being transported, the aliens were told to get out of the vehicle. The two aliens then jumped, fell or were pushed from the vehicle while it was still moving. As a result, one of the aliens hit his head on the ground, suffered serious injury, and died at the hospital two days later,” the release stated.

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