United States v. Montes-Sala, No. 10-41167 (5th Cir. 2012)
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Defendant was convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens, conspiracy to conceal or harbor illegal aliens, and two counts of harboring or concealing illegal aliens, 8 U.S.C. 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii), (iii), (v)(I), and (a)(1)(B)(I). The Fifth Circuit affirmed, upholding the district court's admission of expert testimony by federal law enforcement agents regarding usual locations of passengers in the vehicles used to transport illegal aliens; use of multiple bailouts in illegal alien trafficking; the role of guides; and relationships among drivers, guides, and recruiters. An agent's statement identifying a particular phone number as belonging to unindicted co-conspirator was hearsay, but not prejudicial.
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