Press Release
THIRTY-NINE INDICTED ON ALIEN SMUGGLING CHARGES
October 10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office Of Investigation, Luis Bencosme, Acting Director of Air Operations for the Miami Air and Marine Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rear Admiral Steve Branham, Commander 7th Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard, Matthew Zetts, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, and Harold Woodward, Director of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection, announce the indictments of thirty-nine individuals, all charged with alien smuggling and related offenses involving the attempted smuggling of more than 450 foreign nationals into the United States.
From September 25 through October 10, 2008, federal grand juries in Key West and Miami returned eighteen separate indictments charging defendants German Rubi-Perez, Osmany Aguila-Madalay, Santos Mederos, Omar Nunes, Pedro Cabrera, Vladimir Sarduy-Lopez, William Lezcano, Geormani Hernandez Gari, Randy Serrano, Vladimir Hernandez-Ruiz, Javier Lopez, Alberto Alvarez-Cabrera, Renaldo Torres, Ernesto Cepero-Lopez, Juan Gutierrez, Felix Sarduy-Lopez, Yasser Alvarez, Elio Rivera, Jr., Rigoberto Prieto-Rodriguez, Lazaro Rodriguez-Espinosa, Yasvani Reyes-Santiesteban, Lazaro Hernandez-Mico, Luis Ramirez-Rodriguez, Jose Roberto Torres-Souto, Jorge Martinez-Garcia, Mario Rodriguez-Martinez, Felipe Cordero Bedael, Andres Valdes, Yuset Hernandez, Alexis Viscaino Cervantes, Elieten Mendoza-Zaldivar, Reynaldo Crespo-Marquez, Michel Madrigal Lopez, Brainer Gomez Cruz, Humberto Carrazana, Arley Ceballo Gonzalez, Ricardo Espildora, Didier Gonzalez Vasquez, and Antonio Fernandez Santana Neto with conspiracy to smuggle aliens, conspiracy to smuggle aliens resulting in the death of an individual, conspiracy to smuggle aliens for commercial gain, extortion, encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the United States, and fleeing from federal agents. If convicted, the defendants charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens resulting in the death of an individual face a statutory maximum of life imprisonment. Defendants charged with the other crimes listed above face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
Case Summaries:
United States v. German Rubi-Perez and Osmany Aguila-Madalay, Case No.08-10060-CR- MOORE. German Rubi-Perez, 42, of Miami, FL, and Osmany Aguila-Madalay, 39, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-nine Cuban nationals to come to the United States and fleeing from law enforcement officers in July 2007.
United States v. Santos Mederos and Omar Nunes, Case No. 08-10067-CR-MARTINEZ. Santos Mederos, 35, of Hialeah, FL, and Omar Nunes, 36, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiring to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-five Cuban Nationals to come to the United States in February 2008.
United States v. Juan Gutierrez and Pedro Cabrera, Case No. 08-10070-CR-KING. Juan Gutierrez, 40, of Hialeah, FL, and Pedro Cabrera, 50, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-six Cuban nationals to come to the United States in December 2005.
United States v. Vladimir Sarduy-Lopez and William Lezcano, Case No. 08-10074-CR-KING. Vladimir Sarduy-Lopez, 44, of Hialeah, FL, and William Lezcano, 43, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-four Cuban nationals to come to the United States in April 2006.
United States v. Geormani Hernandez Gari, Randy Serrano, and Vladimir Hernandez-Ruiz, Case No. 08-10064-CR-KING. Geormani Hernandez Gari, 33, of Hialeah, FL, Randy Serrano, 26, of Miami, FL, and Vladimir Hernandez-Ruiz, 32, of Hialeah, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing a total of twenty-one Cuban nationals to come to the United States on two separate incidents in April 2007 and September 2007.
United States v. Javier Lopez, Case No. 08-10073-CR-MOORE. Javier Lopez, 33, of Key Largo, FL, who was previously convicted of conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States in March 2008 (Case No. 08-10007-CR-MOORE), is charged with failure to appear in court for sentencing in June 2008.
United States v. Mario Rodriguez-Martinez, Alberto Alvarez-Cabrera, and Renaldo Torres, Case No. 08-10062-CR-MARTINEZ. Mario Rodriguez-Martinez, 28, of Miami, FL, Alberto Alvarez-Cabrera, 39, of Miami, FL, and Renaldo Torres, 41, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing nineteen Cuban nationals to come to the United States in May 2006.
United States v. Ernesto Cepero-Lopez, Juan Gutierrez, and Felix Sarduy-Lopez, Case No. 08-10068-CR-MOORE. Ernesto Cepero-Lopez, 49, of Miami, FL, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing a total fifty Cuban nationals to come to the United States on two separate occasions in June 2005 and February 2008, respectively. Juan Gutierrez, 40, of Miami, FL, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing 20 Cuban aliens to come to the United States on June 8, 2005. Felix Sarduy-Lopez, 36, of Miami is charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing Cuban nationals to come to the United States. Ernesto Cepero-Lopez is charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing fifty Cuban nationals to come to the United States on two separate occasions in June 2005 and February 2008, respectively. Juan Gutierrez is charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty Cuban nationals to come to the United States in February 2008.
United States v. Yasser Alvarez and Elio Rivera, Jr., Case No. 08-10066-CR-KING. Yasser Alvarez, 38, of Hialeah, FL, and Elio Rivera, Jr., 34, of Key West, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing thirty-three Cuban nationals to come to the United States in February 2008.
United States v. Rigoberto Prieto-Rodriguez and Lazaro Rodriguez-Espinosa, Case No. 08-10072-CR-MOORE. Rigoberto Prieto-Rodriguez, 34, of Miami, FL, and Lazaro Rodriguez-Espinosa, 41, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-two Cuban nationals to come to the United States in July 2007.
United States v. Yasvani Reyes-Santiesteban and Lazaro Hernandez-Mico, Case No. 08-10065-CR-MARTINEZ. Yasvani Reyes-Santiesteban, of Miami, FL, and Lazaro Hernandez-Mico, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing nineteen Cuban nationals to come to the United States in June 2008.
United States v. Luis Ramirez-Rodriguez and Jose Roberto Torres-Souto, Case No. 08-10065-CR-MARTINEZ. Luis Ramirez-Rodriguez, 26, of Hialeah, FL, and Jose Roberto Torres-Souto, 65, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-eight Cuban nationals to come to the United States in December 2007.
United States v. Jorge Martinez-Garcia and Mario Rodriguez-Martinez, Case No. 08-10069-CR-MOORE. Jorge Martinez-Garcia, 35, of Miami, FL, and Mario Rodriguez-Martinez, 28, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing eleven Cuban nationals to come to the United States in July 2008.
United States v. Felipe Cordero-Bedael and Andres Valdes, Case No. 08-10063-CR-KING. Felipe Cordero-Bedael, 24, of Miami, FL, and Andres Valdes, 36, of Pembroke Pines, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-one Cuban nationals to come to the United States in February 2008.
United States v. Alexis Viscaino Cervantes, Elieten Mendoza-Zaldivar, Reynaldo Crespo Marquez, Michel Madrigal Lopez, Brainer Gomez Cruz, Humberto Carrazana, and Arley Ceballo Gonzalez, Case No. 08-03195-MJ-SNOW. Alexis Viscaino Cervantes, 34, of Miami, FL, Elieten Mendoza-Zaldivar, 35, of Miami, FL, Reynaldo Crespo Marquez, 29, of Hialeah, FL, Michel Madrigal Lopez, 30, of Hialeah, FL, Brainer Gomez Cruz, 26, of Carol City, FL, Humberto Carrazana, 25, of Hialeah, FL, and Arley Ceballo Gonzalez, 31, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens which resulted in the death of an individual and encouraging and inducing thirty-two Cuban nationals to come to the United States in September 2008.
United States v. Yuset Hernandez, Case No. 08-20885-CR-ALTONAGA. Yuset Hernandez, of Miami, FL, is charged with encouraging and inducing eighteen Cuban nationals to come to the United States and failing to present aliens to an immigration officer at a designated port of entry in March 2008.
United States v. Ricardo Espildora and Didier Gonzalez-Velasquez, Case No.08-10071-CR- MOORE. Ricardo Espildora, 38, of Key Largo, FL, and Didier Gonzalez-Velasquez, 21, of Miami, FL, are charged with conspiracy to smuggle aliens and encouraging and inducing twenty-two Cuban nationals to come to the United States and fleeing from law enforcement officers in May 2008.
United States v. Antonio Fernandez Santana Neto, Case No.08-20819-CR-GOLD. Antonio Fernandez Santana Neto, of Miami, FL, is charged with extortion, conspiracy to smuggle aliens for commercial gain, and encouraging and inducing three Cuban nationals to come to the United States in August 2008.
Mr. Acosta commended the cooperation and 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 - Miami 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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