New lawyer appointed for DeKalb man accused of smuggling people across border

ROCKFORD – A DeKalb man appeared in federal court Tuesday with a new lawyer to request continuance in his federal criminal case where he faces charges of harboring undocumented immigrants at his Cortland business.

Luis Alfredo De La Cruz, 49, appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Iain Johnston at the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois in Rockford on Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Love was the prosecutor, taking over for Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Pedersen, who was named a DeKalb County judge in the 23rd Circuit Court last month.

De La Cruz was represented by a new lawyer, Aurora-based attorney Viviana Ramirez, who did not comment on the case. An associate with Isuf Kola, of Glen Ellyn-based Kola & Associates Law Office, De La Cruz’s former representation, said the office was dropping the case.

Ramirez requested additional time to begin her own review of the more than 3,000 pages of documents and 500 gigabytes of data that was seized during a search of Alfredo’s Iron Works, which the government says show De La Cruz knowingly smuggled individuals across the U.S.-Mexico border.

De La Cruz is set to appear for another status hearing in Rockford at 11 a.m. October 1.

On April 23, De La Cruz pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

During the April 23 session, Pedersen said electronic documents, agency reports, and records seized during a warrant search of the Cortland plant include recorded telephone calls between De La Cruz and another individual that revealed De La Cruz made an upfront payment to someone for a person to be smuggled across the border, picked up and driven to Cortland, Pedersen said. The phone calls show De La Cruz made arrangements for the money to be paid back to him by that person, Pedersen said.

De La Cruz was indicted April 16 by a federal grand jury in Rockford, accused of smuggling and transporting two undocumented immigrants and harboring another eight by employing them at his business, Alfredo's Iron Works, 280 W. Lincoln Highway in Cortland.

Alfredo's Iron Works was raided by federal immigration services on June 1 of last year, during which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials removed eight employees from the plant.