TYLER, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – A man from Tyler was sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday for his involvement in a human trafficking network.
Michael Anthony Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport undocumented immigrants and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Martinez used a social media account to recruit drivers, offering payments to anyone willing to transport undocumented immigrants to their destinations. Bank records and text messages between Martinez and the people he recruited corroborated the criminal activity, as detailed in court filings.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Tyler Field Office and the Tyler Police Department.
Anyone with information about human trafficking should contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
