Israeli-American citizen Israel Enden, 46, was sentenced to time served in federal court in Buffalo, N.Y., after pleading guilty to bringing an unauthorized migrant into the United States from Canada, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Enden, who was born in the United States, at the Rainbow Bridge crossing on Jan. 8 after he failed to produce a rental agreement for the Canadian-plated vehicle he was driving.
During a secondary inspection, officers found Israeli citizen Elazar Wigdorowitz hiding under luggage in the vehicle.
Investigators said that the men had flown together from Warsaw to Toronto the previous day and that Enden knew that Wigdorowitz lacked authorization to enter the United States.
Wigdorowitz previously pleaded guilty to improper entry by an alien, was sentenced to time served and was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.