KINNEY COUNTY, Texas — An immigration attorney and federally appointed magistrate in Texas was arrested and charged with smuggling of a human and resisting arrest.
Timothy D. Japhet was arrested Saturday afternoon in Kinney County by Constable Jimmy Fullen. Four adult men were detained alongside Japhet.
It is unknown if the men were taken against their will or if they paid Japhet to transport them. It is also unknown if Japhet represented the group legally.
According to an identification card retrieved by Fullen, Japhet has been licensed since 2003.
Authorities did not disclose whether the men were citizens, legal residents or undocumented, or their country of origin.
The current whereabouts and status of the four men were not provided.
