Fatal SUV crash driver among 5 charged in smuggling scheme

DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Texas has indicted several people connected to an alleged immigrant smuggling scheme, including the driver in an SUV crash that killed five of 14 people inside.

Federal prosecutors say the driver, 20-year-old Jorge Luis Monsivais Jr., and four others were indicted by a grand jury in Del Rio on Wednesday for their roles in a smuggling scheme that led to the June 17 crash.

Authorities say the Border Patrol became suspicious of three vehicles traveling in a convoy between El Indio and Carrizo Springs, Texas.

Two of the three vehicles led authorities on a high-speed chase when agents tried to make “immigration inspections.” Authorities said Monsivais was driving an SUV packed with people in the country illegally.