TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A Tucson man was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit.
70-year-old Michael Ortiz was also sentenced to a year of consecutive imprisonment for violating conditions of his federal supervised release.
Those conditions were imposed following his 2018 alien smuggling conviction, according to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office District of Arizona.
Ortiz was transporting four migrants on July 21, 2022, when he encountered United States Border Patrol agents.
Ortiz did not stop for agents, sped away from them at 90 mph, and avoided authorities for almost 30 minutes.
He was caught after his car got stuck on a dirt road next to a wash.
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Bivian Contreras is a real-time editor for KGUN 9. Bivian graduated from the University of Arizona School of Journalism with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Broadcast and is currently pursuing a degree in Broadcast Operational Meteorology. Share your story ideas and important issues with Bivian by emailing bivian.contreras@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
