The following information was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Texas.
DEL RIO, Texas – A Grand Prairie man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 240 months in prison for his involvement in a failed human smuggling event, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, Van Donovan Brown, also known as “Sledge,” 31, was actively recruiting load drivers, particularly on Facebook, for an alien smuggling organization while living abroad in Colombia and facilitated an April 2023 smuggling attempt through a WhatsApp group chat.
Records also indicated Brown submitted multiple CashApp payments to co-conspirator John Klotz, also known as “Remy.”
Brown was indicted on Oct. 2, 2024, with co-defendant Cameron Alexander Ford. Ford was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on March 4, and Klotz was sentenced to 72 months on May 1.
A fourth defendant, Jeffrey Ray Jilpas, was arrested Feb. 20 and is currently awaiting hearings set for next month. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez presides over the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Ellis-Dotson prosecuted the case.
