Inside "the Pool": Fugitive arrested in alleged cross-border car trade scheme
Along the Texas-Mexico border, prosecutors say a group of businessmen found a way to monopolize the trade of used cars — a scheme called "the Pool." This week, authorities say they caught one alleged member.
Federal authorities announced the arrest of a man accused of running a cross-border car trade scheme along the Texas-Mexico border, known locally as "the Pool." The operation involved South Texas businessmen who monopolized the industry, fixing fees, pooling revenues, and intimidating competitors. At the center of the scheme was Carlos Martinez, a businessman from Mission, Texas, who was found guilty of federal charges and sentenced to prison time.
Martinez's son-in-law, Rigoberto Brown, a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, was charged in November 2022 with conspiracy to fix prices and monopolize the transmigrante forwarding business. After evading capture for nearly four years, Brown was apprehended near McAllen, Texas, and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Houston.
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