A Tucson man, Warren Evan Jose, was sentenced in federal court to 440 months in prison after pleading guilty to a number of crimes he committed as a human smuggler.
Jose admitted to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted, two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon, and two counts of Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.
On June 29, 2021, his co-defendant, Valentina Valenzuela, of Sells, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. She pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted and two counts of Transporting an Illegal Alien for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted.
A third co-conspirator, the decedent, died during the commission of the crimes.
During Jose’s guilty plea, he admitted that on or about April 11, 2019, the three co-conspirators agreed to pick up two undocumented noncitizens at or near Sells, Arizona and transport them to Phoenix. The three co-conspirators then picked up two undocumented noncitizens and planned to transport them to Phoenix, in return for payment.
While transporting the undocumented migrants, Jose, Valenzuela, and the decedent drank alcohol and used drugs. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) noticed the vehicle and activated their lights and sirens to stop the vehicle. The decedent, who was driving, failed to stop, and attempted to flee by crashing the vehicle into one of the agent’s vehicles.
Following the crash, Jose began firing on the federal agents, using a Century Arms, 7.62×39 pistol, an AK-47-style firearm. At his guilty plea hearing, Jose admitted that he knew they were law enforcement agents when he fired at them. The shots fired by Jose grazed one HSI agent on the head and hit him on the shoulder. Jose barely missed hitting a second HSI agent in the head.
At his guilty plea hearing, Jose admitted that his use of drugs and alcohol and his firing of the AK-47-style pistol were the proximate cause of the decedent’s death.