(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice charged a Nevada father and son Wednesday for allegedly harboring illegal immigrants in the Reno area.
Carlos Recinos-Valdez, 43, and his son Kevin Recinos-Ruano, 20, allegedly sheltered foreign nationals for personal financial gain for almost four years, from July 2021 to March 2025, according to the DOJ.
The criminal complaint against the men alleges they “conspired to exploit vulnerable individuals for profit,” Acting U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada said.
“Human smuggling operations threaten our national security,” she said. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continually working with HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) and our local law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.”
Authorities are accusing Recinos-Valdez of orchestrating this illegal smuggling through a transnational criminal organization with human smugglers and traffickers in Guatemala, Mexico and America.
Recinos-Valdez allegedly located these illegal immigrants in apartment complexes in the Reno area, according to the DOJ’s criminal complaint.
He and the criminal organization allegedly charged thousands of dollars for people who wanted to be brought into America illegally.
When these illegal immigrants were in America, law enforcement claims Recinos-Valdez made these people pay off their debt to the criminal organization.
Recinos-Valdez allegedly would go to the places where the illegal immigrants were staying and collect regular payments for the smuggling fees, according to the DOJ.
The Department of Justice accuses Recinos-Valdez of threatening illegal immigrants with physical violence if payments were not received. Recinos-Ruano allegedly acted as an enforcer and helped collect payments.
Recinos-Valdez faces charges of “one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens; three counts of harboring illegal aliens; and two counts of aiding and abetting attempted interference with commerce by extortion,” the DOJ said.
Recinos-Ruano has been charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants.
If Recinos-Valdez is convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Recinos-Ruano faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office collaborated on this investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations.
