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Sam Penrod Reporting Police have arrested a husband and wife accused of smuggling three women into the country illegally, then threatening to kill their family members if they didn't pay them thousands of dollars.
It's a disturbing story. The couple is accused of harboring illegal immigrants, then threatening their young children left behind in Mexico with death if they didn't pay an increased smuggling fee.
The women, a 14-year old girl, a 16-year old girl and 24-year old woman left Mexico in just the last couple of weeks for the US. They were allegedly brought here by 40-year old Armando Gutierrez and his 49-year old wife, Martina, who gave them 40 dollars for food and clothes for one week.
While two of the women were out looking for a job, someone found out what was going on and reported it. Federal Immigration agents found fake social security and identification cards in their home, as well as eleven thousand dollars in cash.
The victims told authorities they had agreed to pay 17-hundred dollars in a smuggling fee, but after arriving to Utah, were informed it had gone up to 28-hundred dollars. And if they did not pay up, family members left behind in Mexico, would be killed, including the woman's three and five year old children.
It turns out the 14-year old girl already found a job, working a 12 hour night shift, six days a week, trying to pay the couple off.
The victims are now in protective custody; it is unclear if they will be deported. But the suspects are in jail and face several years in federal prison if they are convicted.
