Undocumented immigrant sentenced to life in prison for murdering whistleblower in labor scheme
An undocumented immigrant who participated in a multimillion-dollar scheme and then murdered a whistleblower who attempted to expose the scam has been sentenced to life in prison.
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Huan Rangel-Rubio, 46, Rincon, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2017 execution-style murder of Eliud Montoya. Montoya was a US citizen who reported Rangel-Rubio’s illegal activities to the federal government. According to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Rangel-Rubio was also ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution.
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“Eliud Montoya was murdered for doing the right thing and revealing Juan Rangel-Rubio’s scheme to profit off his use of undocumented workers,” U.S. Attorney Steinberg said. “As a result of the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, Juan Rangel-Rubio will be held accountable for his despicable crimes.”
In October 2022, Rangel-Rubio was found guilty after a five-day trial in U.S. District Court of conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, conspiracy to kill a witness, conspiracy to conceal, harbor and shield illegal aliens, and money laundering conspiracy.
Two co-defendants are serving prison terms for their roles in the conspiracy. Rangel-Rubio’s brother, Pablo Rangel-Rubio, 52, of Rincon, was sentenced to 584 months in prison after pleading guilty to a half-dozen charges related to the conspiracy.
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Higinio Perez-Bravo, 52, Savannah, was sentenced to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Both Perez-Bravo and Pablo Rangel-Rubio are citizens of Mexico illegally present in the U.S. and will be subject to deportation after completing their prison terms.
Four other defendants were sentenced to prison terms of up to 24 months for charges related to the investigation, including conspiracy and illegal firearms possession.
According to court records, Pablo Rangel-Rubio worked as a supervisor at Wolf Tree, a contract company that performed tree-cutting services. He and his brother hired illegal aliens to work for the company, then routed the workers paychecks to their own bank accounts where they skimmed portions off to themselves. They also created fake employee accounts and directed that pay to themselves.
As a result of the scheme, the conspirators netted more than $3.5 million.
“This sentence means that the consequences of Rangel-Rubio’s actions have caught up with him and he will no longer be able to hurt anyone,” Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama, said. “I am proud of the work that our great law enforcement partners did to successfully close this case and the great work that they do to protect our communities.”
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The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Garden City Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including Tania D. Groover.
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