Mario Joshua Sandoval III, a 27-year-old former Texas National Guard soldier from Houston, was convicted on July 21, 2025 of conspiring to smuggle migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. A federal jury in the Southern District of Texas returned the guilty verdict after less than an hour of deliberation, following a one-day trial before U.S. District Judge David S. Morales.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former Texas National Guard Soldier Convicted of Alien Smuggling
What Prosecutors Proved at Trial
The government showed that Sandoval coordinated a migrant smuggling operation in the Rio Grande Valley, using text messages to recruit drivers willing to move migrants from the valley to points north of an immigration checkpoint.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former Texas National Guard Soldier Convicted of Alien Smuggling Investigators said the operation was financially motivated.2NewsNation. Former National Guard Soldier Convicted of Conspiring to Smuggle Migrants
Central to the case was surveillance footage placing Sandoval at the immigration checkpoint at the same moments he was texting others about the presence of officers and K-9 patrols. Prosecutors used that timing to argue he was scouting the checkpoint and relaying real-time intelligence so smuggling vehicles could avoid detection.3ICE. National Guard Soldier Deployed to South Texas to Help Secure the Border Convicted of Smuggling
From Operation Lonestar to the Indictment
Sandoval had deployed to the border with the Texas National Guard as part of Operation Lonestar, the state-led border security initiative. After his orders ended he stayed in the Rio Grande Valley and began taking part in smuggling activity in July 2024, according to prosecutors.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former Texas National Guard Soldier Convicted of Alien Smuggling He was formally discharged from the Guard in October 2024.3ICE. National Guard Soldier Deployed to South Texas to Help Secure the Border Convicted of Smuggling
A federal grand jury returned a sealed indictment on March 26, 2025, charging Sandoval alone. The case was docketed as No. 2:25-cr-00211 in the Southern District of Texas, and no co-conspirators were named.4PACER Monitor. USA v. Sandoval, III
The Defense and the Verdict
At trial, Sandoval’s defense argued there was no conspiracy and that his text messages had been taken out of context.2NewsNation. Former National Guard Soldier Convicted of Conspiring to Smuggle Migrants The jury rejected that account, convicting him in under an hour.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former Texas National Guard Soldier Convicted of Alien Smuggling
Sentencing and What He Faces
Sandoval faces up to ten years in federal prison. Judge Morales set sentencing for October 22, 2025, and Sandoval remains in custody until then.3ICE. National Guard Soldier Deployed to South Texas to Help Secure the Border Convicted of Smuggling