A Mexicali man pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the March 2, 2021, crash that took the lives of thirteen people.

Jose Cruz Noguez admitted that he and co-conspirators worked to smuggle a large number of undocumented migrants into the United States by loading them into modified SUV's. One of those vehicles, a Ford Expedition, collided with a tractor trailer rig on State Route 115 near Holtville claiming the lives of 13 individuals. Cruz Noguez admitted that he and his co-conspirators were smuggling the undocumented migrants into the United States for financial consideration and with the intent to violate the immigration laws of the U.S. A second suspect in the smuggling attempt has been charged but remains a fugitive. Cruz Noguez will be sentenced on June 9, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo.