New York man indicted in N.H. alien smuggling case

CONCORD - A Brooklyn, New York man has been indicted in connection with smuggling unauthorized immigrants across the Canadian border.

The state's U.S. Attorneys Office released a statement on Friday saying that Abraham Hernandez, 27, was formally charged with three counts of bringing in and harboring certain aliens.

According to the charging documents, on June 13, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police advised the U.S. Border Patrol that individuals with backpacks were walking southbound from Canada toward Halls Stream Road in Pittsburg. Hernandez was later stopped by law enforcement in Pittsburg while transporting nine unauthorized immigrants in a Honda SUV.

The charge of bringing in and harboring certain aliens provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Border Patrol led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Ward is prosecuting the case.