Whittington
United States v. Whittington
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM **
Ralph Frederick Whittington appeals his conviction of three counts of aiding and abetting Bringing in Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain and three counts of aiding and abetting Transportation of Illegal Aliens. On July 22, 2004, border patrol agents detained Whittington on the “Patterson Property” in an area located near Highway 94 and the California/Mexico border. Agents caught Whittington behind the wheel of a pick-up truck with an attached trailer. Ten undocumented aliens were found near or inside a small, camouflaged box, resembling a pile of two by fours, that had been built into the trailer.
After his arrest, Whittington waived his Miranda rights and the United States Border Patrol interviewed him. According to the interviewing agent, Whittington stated that a female acquaintance (“Diane”) had introduced him to two individuals (“Miguel” and “Julio”) with whom he agreed to help smuggle illegal aliens into the United States for $1000. Whittington’s associates instructed him to drop the aliens off at a 7-11 located in El Centro, California.
On August 11, 2004, the United States indicted Whittington on three charges of aiding and abetting Bringing in Illegal…