RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A man who got a Mexican teen pregnant attempted to sneak her into the U.S. by chopping off her hair and dressing her in men’s clothing.
Carlos Uribe-Garza, 23, who admitted to engaging in sexual contact with two minors, which resulted in two pregnancies, told the court his only regret was that he attempted to bring the child into the United States.
On Monday, a federal judge sentenced Uribe-Garza to 121 months in prison for coercion or enticement of a minor female, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
According to court records, Uribe-Garza befriended a 15-year-old girl at her quinceanera party in Reynosa, Mexico, and had a sexual relationship with the child from December 2020 to February 2021. Uribe-Garza would travel across the border for this relationship which resulted in a pregnancy.
On Feb. 24, 2021, Uribe-Garza attempted to bring the child to the United States. He cut her hair short, dressed her in men’s clothing, and provided her with a State of Tennessee ID card to cross the border, according to a criminal complaint.
When crossing the border through the Hidalgo Port of Entry, Uribe-Garza told authorities the child was his cousin. However, after later questioning, he admitted the child was his girlfriend.
According to court records, the child’s mother was contacted and she explained to officials that she knew about the relationship but told Uribe-Garza not to take the child away from her home. She added that Uribe-Garza took the child without the mother’s consent.
Uribe-Garza was arrested and indicted in federal court within a month of the incident. He was charged with “bringing in and harboring aliens” and “coercion or enticement of a minor female.” He subsequently pleaded not guilty.
However, over the course of the case, it was learned Uribe-Garza had impregnated another child, a 16-year-old girl in 2019, and had prevented her from speaking up about it.
According to a release, Uribe-Garza told the girl he could “catch a case” if anyone learned about their relationship. It’s unclear where Uribe-Garza allegedly had sex with the 16-year-old.
Uribe-Garza also attempted to prevent the 15-year-old girl from speaking up about their relationship. He attempted to influence her from speaking to law enforcement about the case and was described by her mother as “obsessive, manipulative, and toxic,” according to the release.
The court deemed him a repeat and dangerous sex offender against minors and imposed a sentencing enhancement, the release said.
Uribe-Garza entered a plea deal in June 2021. As part of the plea, Uribe-Garza admitted to committing sex acts with the minor girl, and federal prosecutors agreed to drop the harboring charge. He will be forced to register as a sex offender and spend five years of supervised release upon the end of his prison sentence.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection.
