SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two Utah court clerks accused of helping an illegal alien avoid arrest by spiriting him out a courthouse back door pleaded not guilty to federal crimes on Thursday morning.Jennifer Joma, age 27, and Lauren Morrow, age 26, wore red Salt Lake County Jail jumpsuits as they appeared before a federal judge.An indictment charges Joma and Morrow with conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, and obstruction. Maximum penalties include years in prison and fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars.MORE | Two former Utah state court clerks accused of helping illegal alien avoid ICE arrestIn April, the co-defendants were working at Logan Municipal Justice Court when it's alleged an ICE officer went inside the building with a warrant for a migrant who was there for a court hearing.The agent, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, left the building to wait in his car for the person to leave the courthouse.Joma and Morrow are accused of misusing court databases to identify more than one non-citizen (including the ICE target), slipping them out the back door, and then smiling and waving at a security camera, with Morrow making an obscene gesture.Prosecutors said Joma drove away with three aliens in her car and later returned to work."She had a ton of family support in the courtroom today," said Nate Duncan, attorney for Joma. "She has a sweet little three-year-old daughter. Jennifer is a sweet, wonderful person and it's a tragedy to see that she's in this situation right now."He and Adam Crayk, the lawyer for Morrow, want to learn more about the charges, much of which could be provided in discovery. Crayk noted "the political climate" in responding to questions post-hearing."You're talking about people who have zero criminal history," Crayk said. "People who are good, hard-working."The U.S. Attorney's Office said the case against Joma and Morrow is part of Operation Take Back America "to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels ... and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."_____