Laredo, Texas – A woman from Columbia, South Carolina, has been found guilty in federal court of attempting to bring undocumented immigrants across a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas.
After a two-day trial that ended on July 15, Sharon Thompkins, 46, was convicted for transporting illegal aliens into the country. The jury took more than five hours to reach a guilty verdict, rejecting the defense’s assertion that Thompkins was just a bystander.
The allegations come from an event on April 26 in Laredo, Texas, when a blue tractor trailer drove up to Border Patrol checkpoint 29. Ralph Young, 62, from Columbia, South Carolina, was driving, and Thompkins was in the passenger seat. During an inspection, agents became suspicious and used an x-ray device to look at the vehicle. They saw strange forms in the sleeper compartment.
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Upon further investigation, Border Patrol agents discovered four undocumented individuals seated on a bed in the rear compartment. Thompkins not only consented to help with the conveyance, but she also took steps to hide the passengers by telling them to sit quietly and drawing the curtains to hide them.
Thompkins’ defense said she was just there and not participating in the smuggling operation, but the jury agreed with the prosecution, which demonstrated that she was aware of and involved in the plan.
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U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen, who was in charge of the trial, has set the date for sentencing for September. Thompkins could go to federal prison for up to five years and pay a fine of up to $250,000. She remains in jail until her sentencing.
Ralph Young, her co-defendant, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and is also waiting for his sentence.
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The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manuel A. Cardenas Jr. and Tae Chon brought it to court. It is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice program that aims to break up criminal groups and deal with illegal immigration and violent crime.
