A Chattanooga, Tennessee man was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to importing a truckload of 22 unauthorized migrants. Josef Alquan Rutley, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Morales after a hearing that highlighted the immigrants’ perilous conditions, including being imprisoned in the trailer with no means of escape, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Rutley, who was apprehended on December 19, 2024, after driving up to the Falfurrias Border Patrol post and arousing suspicion with his uneasy behavior, originally denied having passengers. However, an x-ray scan later revealed the cramped living circumstances of the illegal individuals within the trailer. Along with his prison sentence, Rutley faces three years of supervised release, during which he must follow certain court-ordered conditions.
The investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a government operation that aims to combat illegal immigration and related crimes. According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, the operation is part of a larger national campaign to combat illegal immigration and disrupt the activities of cartels and criminal groups. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt oversaw the prosecution of Rutley, working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement—Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol agents who conducted the investigation.
Rutley is currently in jail and awaiting transportation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, the exact location of which has yet to be established.
