Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MIAMI – Two Cuban nationals have been adjudicated guilty on alien smuggling charges by a federal district judge in Miami.
According to court documents and statements made in court hearings, on Oct. 24, 2024, Yordany Capote-Leon, 31 and Yuniel Cabrera Piloto 44, departed from the United States to Bahamian waters on a cuddy cabin style boat. While in Bahamian waters, Capote-Leon and Piloto loaded 18 individuals onto the boat and proceeded back toward the United States. The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Manowar observed the suspicious activity and followed the boat back to the United States.
Once the boat crossed back into United States waters, off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers onboard a CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) vessel approached the go-fast boat and ordered the drivers to stop. Capote-Leon and Piloto ignored the orders and kept going. The boat finally stopped after warning shots were deployed. All the individuals encountered aboard the boat were transferred to the USCG Cutter Manowar. Once aboard the cutter, law enforcement determined that the 18 individuals onboard, besides Capote-Leon and Piloto, were Ecuadorian nationals who did not have authorization to enter the United States. Law enforcement also determined that three of the illegal aliens encountered, Jorge Fabian Albarrasin Cabrera, Marcelo Patricio Pesantez-Merchan and Juan Carlos Villa Arpi, had been previously removed from the United States.
Capote-Leon, Piloto, Cabrera, Merchan and Arpi were transferred ashore to face charges. All defendants have pleaded guilty. The rest of the aliens were repatriated to the Bahamas.
On March 4, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced Capote-Leon to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
On March 6, Piloto entered a guilty plea before magistrate judge Ellen F. D’Angelo, who issued a report recommending that the plea be accepted. On April 4, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore adopted the report and recommendations and adjudicated defendant guilty.
Piloto is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8 at 2:00 p.m. in Miami. He faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from CBP and USCG, 7th Coast Guard District. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl is prosecuting the case.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-10027.
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