Luis Franciso Corona-Montano, an illegal alien from Mexico with seven prior deportations, has been sentenced to 71 months in prison for transporting fellow illegals in West Texas, including an unaccompanied minor who was ordered to jump from the vehicle.
In March, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his sentence, finding it was irrelevant whether he knew she was a minor to receive a sentence enhancement for her transportation.
Background
In May 2024, Corona-Montano picked up a group of six illegal aliens from the desert brush near Fort Hancock in his SUV.
While driving west toward Interstate-10, a border patrol vehicle began following him. Corona-Montano then reportedly ordered an illegal 17-year-old female to throw herself from the vehicle while the SUV was still moving.
Border patrol agents stopped to help the girl and activated their lights and siren for Corona-Montano to stop. He instead sped away and ordered another alien to jump from the vehicle as he entered the interstate.
Texas state troopers offered assistance and successfully deployed a device to deflate the SUV’s tires. Corona-Montano made it off the highway but then lost control and crashed. He and five others were apprehended by border patrol agents and found to be in the country illegally.
According to court filings, each alien was supposed to pay at least $9,000 to be smuggled.
Prosecution
In June 2025, Corona-Montano was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas for conspiracy to transport aliens and transporting aliens. He pled guilty without a plea agreement.
The presentence report increased his offense level because “one of the aliens transported by Defendant was a minor who was unaccompanied by the minor’s parent, adult relative, or legal guardian.” Corona-Montano objected to this enhancement, arguing that he did not know he was transporting a minor.
At sentencing, the district court overruled his objection and applied the enhancement, sentencing him to 71 months’ imprisonment. Corona-Montano then appealed to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
On March 2, the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court order, holding that sentencing guidelines “do not impose a scienter requirement for the transportation of a minor.” Scienter is a legal term referring to a person’s intent or knowledge of wrongdoing.
This means defendants are “strictly liable” for transporting unaccompanied minors, regardless of whether it was done knowingly or intentionally.
Michael Lahrman—spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas—told Texas Scorecard, “The criminal complaint filed in May 2024 indicates Corona-Montano has been removed from the U.S. seven times, the last being to Mexico on Jan. 25, 2024, just a few months prior to his arrest near Fort Hancock.”
“He was convicted of illegal re-entry in New Mexico in 2015; improper entry in Arizona in 2017; and he has a second illegal re-entry conviction in Arizona in 2020,” he continued.
Records obtained by Texas Scorecard show that Corona-Montano was first caught illegally crossing the border in Arizona in 2009. He was paid $20 to smuggle 4.31 kilograms of marijuana in a jacket.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment in time for publication.
If you or anyone you know has information regarding court cases, please contact our tip line: [email protected].
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