Men caught with suspected cartel boss complete time in prison

BROWNSVILLE — A federal judge in Brownsville sentenced the two men caught in October with suspected Gulf Cartel boss Rafael Cárdenas Vela to 126 days in prison — a period they have already served.
Francisco Javier Escalante Jiménez and Germán Alejandro Huízar Marroquín pleaded guilty in December to lying to federal agents about their knowledge of the identity of Cárdenas Vela. Both defendants are citizens of Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen handed down the sentence Wednesday morning and gave them credit for time served, so the men have completed the punishment.
Both men entered the courtroom Wednesday handcuffed and in street clothes and begged the judge for leniency.
In Spanish, Escalante Jiménez apologized to his family, especially to his wife. Huízar Marroquín also addressed the court, just asking for the lowest sentence possible.
Several female family members of the men attended the sentencing but declined to comment after the proceedings.
The case against Cárdenas Vela is still pending in federal court. He has a pretrial conference set for the end of April.