Honduras brother and sister indicted for scheme to bring a 15 year old girl to the U.S.

ATLANTA (WDEF) – Prosecutors say they have indicted two people from Honduras on charges of alien smuggling and fraud.

They were illegal themselves.

And prosecutors say they smuggled a child into the country and applied to sponsor her.

“Through coordinated lies and deception, two illegal aliens smuggled a child into our country to facilitate the exploitation of a 15-year-old child by a 30-year-old man,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of unwavering law enforcement dedication, the child has been removed from a predatory situation, and the deceitful duo who trafficked her will be held accountable for their crimes.”

Prosecutors say they lured the young girl to the U.S. and gave her false identity.

They then tried to gain custody of her through the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division says “Government programs designed to afford protection cannot become tools for exploitation – especially of children.”

The indictment says the 30 year old man met a 15 year old girl from Nicaragua and began a romantic relationship.

He and his sister then tried to gain custody of her once she arrived in our country illegally.

They face a total of 15 years in prison if convicted.