BROWNSVILLE (January 8, 2013)—Domingo Quesada-Hernandez, 43, of Brownsville pleaded guilty Tuesday to evading currency- reporting requirements in an attempt to smuggle more than $610,000 hidden in a spare tire into Mexico.
He could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison.
He remains free on bond pending a sentencing hearing this spring.
The money was seized during a May 2012 inspection at the Gateway International Port of Entry in Brownsville.
Investigators say Quesada-Hernandez was driving a pickup truck and denied having any cash in excess of the $10,000 reporting rules.
Officers, however, noticed fresh markings on the spare tire, which appeared to be larger than the other tires on the pickup.
An X-ray revealed the taped bundles of cash in the spare tire.
