Press Release
TWENTY-SIX CHARGED WITH ALIEN SMUGGLING
May 20, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral Steven R. Branham, 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 twenty-six defendants on charges of alien smuggling and related offenses involving the attempted smuggling of more than 225 foreign nationals into the United States.
On May 6 and May 9, 2008, federal grand juries in Key West and Miami returned twelve separate indictments charging defendants Agustin Torres Chaveco, Daniel Toledo Gasca, Evaristo Prieto-Rodriguez, Robin Carpio-Horta, Michael Garcia-Hernandez, Ariel Fernandez-Alonzo, Aramis Hernandez-Rodriguez, Saidel Roberto Guzman, Eduardo Fernandez Viera, Dolis Jorge Pando Carmenate, Raudel Rubio, Lazaro Alberto Solino Hernandez, Deivys Delgado Sedeno, Gavin James Rampersaud, Roberto Tavies Exposito, August Martinez-Gil, Andres Copero-Lopez, Abel Nunez-Casas, Yasel Plasensia-Perez, Joseph Chacos, Jose Clemente, Richard Rojas, Leosvel Cordova-Parrado, Luis Otano Castell, Rene Hernandez-Gonzalez, and Abimel Caraballo with conspiracy to smuggle aliens, encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the United States, and fleeing from the United States Coast Guard. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Case summaries:
United States v. Agustin Torres Chaveco and Daniel Toledo Gasca, 08-10033-CR-KING. Agustin Torres Chaveco, 34, of Hialeah, FL, and Daniel Toledo Gasca, 30, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-nine Cuban nationals to come to the United States in April 2007.
United States v. Evaristo Prieto-Rodriguez and Robin Carpio-Horta, 08-10032-CR-KING. Evaristo Prieto-Rodriguez, 29, of Miami, FL, and Robin Carpio-Horta, 31, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty Cuban nationals to come to the United States in May 2007.
United States v. Michael Garcia-Hernandez and Ariel Fernandez-Alonzo, 08-10035-CR-KING. Garcia-Hernandez, 28, of Miramar, FL, and Ariel Fernandez-Alonzo, 25, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiring to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-six Cuban nationals to enter the United States in August 2007.
United States v. Aramis Hernandez-Rodriguez and Saidel Roberto Guzman, 08-10029-CR-KING. Hernandez-Rodriguez, 42, of Miami, FL, and Guzman, 25, of West Palm Beach, FL, are charged with conspiracy and encouraging and inducing twenty-six Cuban nationals to come to the United States in January 2008.
United States v. Eduardo Fernandez Viera, Dolis Jorge Pando Carmenate, Raudel Rubio and Lazaro Alberto Solino Hernandez, 08-CR-10030-KING. Viera, 43, of West Palm Beach, FL, Carmenate, 39, of West Palm Beach, FL, Rubio, 21, of Hialeah, FL, and Hernandez, 34, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-four Cuban nationals to come to the United States in October 2007.
United States v. Deivys Delgado Sedeno and Gavin James Rampersaud, 08-10031-CR-KING. Deivys Delgado Sedeno, 26, of Miami, FL, and Gavin James Rampersaud, 33, of Key West, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty Cuban nationals to come to the United States in May 2007.
United States v. Roberto Tavies Exposito and August Martinez-Gil, 08-10034-CR-KING. Exposito and Marinez-Gil are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens, encouraging and inducing twenty-seven Cuban nationals to come to the United States, and fleeing from the United States Coast Guard in September 2007.
United States v. Andres Copero-Lopez and Abel Nunez-Casas, 08-10037-CR-KING. Copero-Lopez, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Nunez-Casa, 30, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-four Cuban nationals to come to the United States in June 2006.
United States v. Joseph Chakos and Jose Clemente, 08-10011-CR-KING. Chakos, 33, of Miami, FL, and Clemente, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing seven Cuban nationals to come to the United States and also with landing those twelve aliens at a place other than a designated port of entry and failing to present them to an authorized Immigration Official. These charges stem from a February 2007 event.
United States v. Richard Rojas, Leosvel Cordova-Parrado, and Yasel Plasensia-Perez, 08-10009-CR-MOORE. Rojas, 27, of Marathon, FL, Cordova-Parrado, 31, of Marathon, FL, and Plasensia-Perez, 23, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing seven Cuban nationals to come to the United States and also with landing those seven aliens at a place other than a designated port of entry and failing to present them to an authorized Immigration Official. These charges stem from a February 2007 event.
United States v. Abimel Caraballo, 08-20266-CR-ALTONAGA. Caraballo, 35, of Hialeah, FL, is charged with encouraging and inducing eleven Chinese nationals and one Guyanese.
United States v. Otano Castell and Rene Hernandez-Gonzalez, 08-10036-CR-KING. Castell, 25, of Miami Lakes, FL, and Herandez-Gonzalez, 37, of West Palm Beach, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty Cuban nationals to come to the United States in December 2007.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the 7th Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection - Field Operations, and Customs and Border Protection - Air and Marine. These cases are being handled by AUSAs assigned to 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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