Mariachi superstar’s son sentenced for immigrant smuggling

Pepe Aguilar in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. (Photo By Pepe_Aguilar_Collage.jpg: Dwight McCannderivative work: Bility at en.wikipedia – Pepe_Aguilar_Collage.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5)

SAN DIEGO — The son of Mexican mariachi superstar Pepe Aguilar has been sentenced to time served after being arrested at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing on allegations of attempting to smuggle four Chinese nationals into the United States.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia also sentenced 24-year-old Jose Emiliano Aguilar on Tuesday to three years of probation, including six months in a sober-living facility.

The younger Aguilar served 18 days in custody after his March 14 arrest at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where the Chinese nationals were found in the trunk of his car. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a count of bringing in an unauthorized immigrant.

His attorney, Jeremy Warren, said his client suffers from mental health issues and was using marijuana to self-medicate.