A federal case involving human smuggling, a fake romance, and forced labor came to a close today in Seattle. Rangel Ramirez-Manzano, a 57-year-old resident of Monroe, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to Harboring an Alien for Financial Gain, admitting he paid thousands to smuggle a woman into the country only to exploit her for profit.
According to U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd, the guilty plea resolves a case that had stalled for years while courts determined if Ramirez-Manzano was mentally competent to stand trial.
Court documents reveal a disturbing timeline that began under the guise of courtship. Ramirez-Manzano, who knew the victim from his hometown in Mexico, pursued a long-distance relationship with her and urged her to move to the United States to be his girlfriend. He paid smugglers $17,000 to get her across the border into Southern California, where he picked her up personally…