A local cop and border agents arrested a lawyer from Corpus Christi on human smuggling charges because he had four illegal aliens in his car when they stopped him on August 13 for speeding. But Dan Japhet, who spent six days in the slammer, then posted a $40,000 bond, claims the arrest and charges are a big misunderstanding.
Attorney Dan Japhet of Corpus Christi was arrested in Del Rio. He said he made a mistake giving hitchhikers a ride and then tried to get pulled over. https://t.co/unnCN2QzuA
— NewsWest9 (@newswest9) August 23, 2022
It’s a curious case:
Japhet said he was actually heading to an Eagle Pass casino and had his dog with him. He said he mistakenly agreed to give some hitchhikers a ride, got nervous about his decision and then tried to get pulled over.
He said a man approached him when he had stopped to let his dog use the bathroom. The man asked if Japhet would give him and his friend a ride. Japhet said yes, but then two more people suddenly appeared. Japhet said he protested but felt pressured to take them.
“I thought, this is not looking good for me right now,” Japhet said. “I made a bad decision.”
Japhet said he tried to drive fast to get the attention of law enforcement.
[‘Bad decision’: Corpus Christi attorney arrested for human smuggling says he gave ride to hitchhikers, by Wes Wilson, NewsWest9, August 21, 2022]
He did. After the cops stopped him, then came the Border Patrol and a tow truck.
Japhet predicted that authorities will drop the smuggling charges, said he was not charged with resisting arrest, and denied that he worked for the immigration courts.
The obvious question is why Japhet would spin such a tale if it weren’t true, particularly given that Eagle Pass is home to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel.
Then again, we have someone smart enough to be a lawyer, who works in Corpus Christi and surely knows that Eagle Pass, Texas, is a major border crossing for illegals, who picked up hitchhikers. He had no reason to believe they were anything but illegals.
H/T: Ali Bradley
