3 California Residents Plead Guilty to Smuggling People Through Hole in Border Fence

Three California residents pleaded guilty to smuggling people into the United States through a hole in the border fence, then transporting them further into the country via a private airplane in order to bypass Border Patrol checkpoints, the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego announced Monday.

Phillip Kubeck, 54, and his wife, Roselia Kubeck, 48, both of Calexico, and Earl Allen, 42, of Woodland, entered guilty pleas Friday to conspiracy to bring in illegal aliens for financial gain, harboring illegal aliens and transporting illegal aliens.

People they smuggled across the border paid as much as $10,000, prosecutors said.

According to his plea agreement, Allen operated an "alien stash house" in El Centro, where people were taken after being smuggled in through a hole in the border fence.

Allen admitted driving illegal aliens to the Imperial County airport, while Phillip Kubeck admitted that he served as the pilot and flew people past all Border Patrol checkpoints and on to Los Angeles.

According to her plea agreement, Roselia Kubeck served as the communications link between Phillip Kubeck and Allen.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced April 21 in San Diego.

—City News Service