LOS ANGELES — A Guatemalan man who led a human smuggling ring that moved about 20,000 migrants into the United States and held some hostage was sentenced Friday to nearly 22 years in federal prison, authorities said.
Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 53, known as “Turko,” received a 262-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela.
His organization was responsible for a November 2023 crash in Oklahoma that killed seven migrants, including children ages 4 and 6, according to prosecutors.
Valenzuela ordered Renoj-Matul to pay $64,945 in restitution related to the crash. A separate hearing will determine restitution for his hostage-taking victims.
Renoj-Matul, who most recently lived in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood, pleaded guilty March 6 to conspiracy to smuggle, transport and harbor migrants for financial gain and one count of hostage taking. He has been in federal custody since February 2025.
(NEWS REPORT LOS ANGELES A YEAR AGO)
Migrants charged up to $18,000
The organization smuggled about 20,000 people from Guatemala into the United States from 2019 through July 2024, according to court documents.
Associates in Guatemala charged migrants $15,000 to $18,000 each and coordinated their journeys. Mexican smuggling groups moved them through Mexico and across the U.S. border. Drivers then transported them to destinations nationwide.
Migrants were taken to a stash house on James M. Wood Boulevard in Westlake. Those whose fees were paid were transported elsewhere. Those who could not pay were held against their will, prosecutors said.
Renoj-Matul admitted operating for personal financial gain and directed that smuggling proceeds be sent from Los Angeles to Phoenix to pay Mexican smugglers and cover expenses.
Hostages threatened with death
Renoj-Matul held two migrants hostage during periods between April and July 2024, threatening harm or death to force others to pay their smuggling debts.
In one case, he and associates called a victim’s mother in Guatemala and warned that her daughter “would come home in a box” unless payment was made, according to court documents.
Prosecutors also said in a sentencing memorandum that Renoj-Matul sexually assaulted one captive, forced her to work, mistreated her and threatened her family to collect an unpaid debt.
Other defendants sentenced
Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj, 51, of Westlake, received a 33-month federal prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to the smuggling conspiracy. His restitution hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Another defendant, José Paxtor-Oxlaj, 46, was sentenced July 31 to 78 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $64,945 in restitution related to the fatal crash. He pleaded guilty to a smuggling conspiracy resulting in death and is incarcerated in Oklahoma in connection with the crash.
Helmer Obispo-Hernández, 43, known as “Xavi,” remains a fugitive facing federal charges, authorities said. Those charges remain allegations.
🔴 Quick Fact Checklist
- 🔴 Defendant: Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 53, a Guatemalan national.
- 🔴 Sentence: 262 months — 21 years, 10 months — imposed Oct. 2, 2026.
- 🔴 Guilty plea: Smuggling conspiracy for financial gain and hostage taking.
- 🔴 Operation: About 20,000 migrants moved from 2019 through July 2024.
- 🔴 Fees: $15,000 to $18,000 per person.
- 🔴 Hostages: Migrants held at a Westlake stash house until debts were paid.
- 🔴 Fatal crash: Seven migrants killed in Oklahoma in November 2023, including children ages 4 and 6.
- 🔴 Restitution: $64,945 for the crash; additional victim restitution pending.
- 🔴 Other sentences: Mejia-Chaj, 33 months; Paxtor-Oxlaj, 78 months.
- 🔴 Fugitive: Obispo-Hernández remains wanted.