Alaskan registered sex offender charged trying to smuggle woman, minor
A registered sex offender from Alaska has been arrested on charges he paid smugglers to bring a woman and her daughter into the United States.
Douglas Price, 44, a resident of Chugaik, Alaska, is charged with two counts of bringing in and harboring people in the country illegally.
A criminal complaint indicates the investigation began on Jan. 16 when an unaccompanied child crossed the Rio Grande and was apprehended in the brush in Hidalgo.
During an interview, the girl told federal agents that her destination was with Price in Alaska. Several days later, on Jan. 22, the child’s mother was apprehended by Border Patrol as she attempted to cross the river and enter the country, according to the complaint.
During another interview, the child stated that she and her mother traveled from Honduras and were guided by a human smuggler. The child stated that her mother said Price would be her daughter’s sponsor and would assist in obtaining the child’s citizenship.
The minor also told investigators that her mother had to pay human smugglers over the course of their travels to the border of Mexico. Furthermore, the girl said her mother was receiving money from Price to pay the smuggling fees via a cellphone application.
Agents also interviewed the mother who said she met Price four years ago, “explaining that they had originally worked together in the hotel remodeling business and became friends.”
“She reported that she had also been his housekeeper and babysat his children,” the complaint stated. “She reported that she had been in frequent contact with Price throughout her journey from Honduras.”
The complaint said that Price paid $5,000 to a phone number provided by the smugglers and the woman said she intended to pay Price back by working for him.
Investigators confirmed the transfer of funds from Price, who used the username “Blackbear.”
Phone records show that Price sent the mother photos of himself and asked about the status of her child, according to the complaint.
Price was arrested in Anchorage, Alaska on Feb. 1 and indicted on Feb. 3, court records show.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced his arrest in a press release on Thursday.
He’s scheduled to make a first appearance in McAllen federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis on March 16.
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