TUCSON, Ariz. — A Douglas man was sentenced to 130 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Resulting in Death, prosecutors say.
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According to the US Attorney's Office, Manuel Victor Gastelum, 27, from Douglas, pleaded guilty in January and was sentenced last week to 130 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Gastelum was also sentenced to 12 months in prison for violating the conditions of his federal probation from a prior smuggling conviction.
Prosecutors say on December 4, 2020, Gastelum picked up eight undocumented noncitizens near the border to transport them further into the United States. While driving westbound on Interstate 10 near Vail, Gastelum began driving recklessly and lost control of the vehicle, rolling it multiple times. A 42-year-old male passenger was ejected from the vehicle and died.
Gastelum fled from the crash on foot but was apprehended later that morning several miles away.
Gastelum had previously been convicted of Transportation of Aliens for Profit Placing Life in Jeopardy in 2019 after he fled from law enforcement and crashed at a gas station while transporting undocumented noncitizens. For that conviction, Gastelum was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Gastelum violated his conditions of supervised release by committing this new offense three months after his release from federal prison.
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