The Public Ministry (MP), through the Prosecutor’s Office against Migrant Smuggling, succeeded in obtaining from the Third Criminal Sentencing Court, a sentence for Frisler Moisés Sánchez Escobar of two years in prison for the crime of fraud and six more years for the crime of money laundering, both in real competition, plus a fine of Q38 thousand, while Disan Gerardo López Caal must serve two years in prison for the crime of fraud.

Both individuals are required to pay court fees and the publication of the sentence in widely circulated mass media.

In accordance to the Prosecutors` team investigation, they were already apprehended on August 31 and September 14, 2022, pursuant to arrest warrants issued by the Guatemalan Fifth Pluripersonal Criminal Court of First Instance, Narcoactivity, and Crimes against the Environment. This followed the arrest of another individual at La Aurora International Airport, who had a passport with a visa that was suspected of being false.

In coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), the authenticity of the visa was verified and confirmed not to correspond to the defendant, which suggests that the visa was indeed false.

As follow-up to the case, the participation of Sanchez Escobar and Lopez Caal was determined. Sequentially, they claimed to be U.S. Embassy employees, confirming they charged a total of Q70 thousand to process an alleged visa. In addition, they corroborated they had already received two payments, one of Q8 thousand and another one for Q30 thousand.

A third defendant was declared as absconding in these proceedings.

November 7, 2023