Man Receives NJ Sentence For Smuggling Ring Role

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say a Texas man is headed to prison for his role in a smuggling ring that brought hundreds of people to the United States.

Sanderlei Alves DaCruz received a 51-month prison sentence Wednesday and will have to serve three years of supervised release once he's freed.

The 33-year-old Houston man had pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to bring people into the United States illegally.

Prosecutors say that between January 2008 and June 2011, DaCruz conspired with several people as part of an elaborate smuggling scheme. They say many of those brought to America were young women from Brazil, most of whom agreed to repay part of their smuggling debt by working as dancers in strip clubs.

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