Press Release
EIGHTEEN ALIEN SMUGGLERS INDICTED
April 4, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel, Commander 7th Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Matthew Zetts, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, and Harold Woodward, Director of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection, announce the indictments of eighteen defendants charged with alien smuggling and related offenses involving the attempted smuggling of more than 200 foreign nationals into the United States.
On March 28, 2008, federal grand juries in Miami and Key West returned eight separate indictments charging defendants Yoel Escalante, Noelio Herrera, Joseph James Chakos, Jose Clemente-Franco, Richard Rojas, Leosvel Cordova-Parrada, Maykel Medina, Javier Gonzalez-Rojas, Hector Julio-Villavicencio, Pedro Garcia Le Desma, Rey Lazaro-Punales, Ernesto Montero, Osmani Arostegui, Alexander Bosque, Eliner Camargo-Otana, Jesus Garcia-Cordero, Eliezer Lazo Martinez, and Jorge Arnaud Vera with alien smuggling, fleeing from the United States Coast Guard, and unlawful entry into the Cuban Territorial Sea. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
Case summaries:
United States v. Yoel Escalante and Noelio Herrera, 08-10014-Cr-King. Yoel Escalante, 34, of Hialeah, FL, and Noelio Herrera, 39 of Key West, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens dating back to a late 2005 event in which they encouraged and induced 34 Cuban nationals to come to the United States.
United States v. Joseph James Chakos and Jose Clemente-Franco, 08-10011-Cr-King. Joseph Chakos, 52, and Jose Clemente-Franco, 23, both of Key West, FL, are charged with encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the United States. They are also charged with bringing eight Cuban nationals into the United States and failing to present them to appropriate Immigration officials. This offense took place in February of 2007 and carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence.
United States v. Richard Rojas and Leosvel Cordova-Parrada, 08-10009-Cr-Moore. Richard Rojas, 27, and Leosvel Cordova-Parrada, 30, both of Key West, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing eight Cuban nationals to come to the United States and with unlawfully entering Cuban territorial seas in conjunction with a February 9, 2007 interdiction.
United States v. Maykel Medina and Javier Gonzalez-Rojas, 08-10008-Cr-King. Maykel Medina, 31, of Tampa, FL, is charged with unlawfully bringing twenty-three Cuban nationals into the United States and failing to present the aliens to an authorized immigration official at a designated port of entry based on a October 2006 event. Medina and Javier Gonzalez-Rojas, 34, of Clewiston, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-four Cuban nationals to come to the United States based on an October 2007 interdiction at-sea.
United States v. Hector Julio-Villavicencio and Pedro Garcia Le Desma, 08-10012-Cr-King. Hector Julio-Villavicencio, 31, of Kendall, FL and Pedro Garcia Le Desma, 42, of Miami, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-nine Cuban nationals to come to the United States based on a November 25, 2005 interdiction.
United States v. Rey Lazaro-Punales, Ernesto Montero, Osmani Arostegui and Alexander Bosque, 08-10013-Cr-Moore. Rey Lazaro-Punales, 23, of Miami, and Ernesto Montero, 32, of Hialeah, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and thirty-one counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the United States. Punales is further charged with failure to stop when ordered by the Coast Guard and for conspiring with Osmani Arostegui, 36, of Miami, and Alexander Bosque, 23, of Miami, to encourage and induce Cuban nationals to come to the United States. These charges stem from interdictions in October, 2007, and January, 2008.
United States v. Eliner Camargo-Otano and Jesus Garcia-Cordero, 08-10010-Cr-King. Eliner Camargo-Otano, 27, of Miami, and Jesus Garcia-Cordero, 31, of Key West, FL, are charged with conspiracy and encouraging and inducing twenty-seven Cuban nationals to come to the United States and also with landing those twenty-seven aliens at a place other than a designated port of entry and failing to present them to an authorized Immigration Official. This charge carries a five year mandatory minimum sentence if convicted. These charges stem from an April 2007 event.
United States v. Eliezer Lazo Martinez and Jorge Arnaud Vera, 08-20250-Cr-Altonaga. Eliezer Lazo Martinez, 32, and Jorge Arnaud Vera, 30, both of Miami, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing five foreign nationals to enter the United States. Martinez and Vera were interdicted on March 13, 2008, with the five foreign nationals attempting to enter the United States by sea from the Bahamas.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the agents and officers of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, and Customs and Border Protection. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys in the Major Crimes Section.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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