The defendants charged between $1,500 and $40,000 per person, spent more than $2.5 million on flights and funneled over $7 million through apps like Zelle.
Twelve individuals have been indicted for their roles in a sweeping international conspiracy involving human smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering schemes that brought thousands of Cuban nationals illegally into the United States.
According to court documents, the defendants operated a prolific human smuggling operation (HSO) that exploited the US immigration system by preparing fraudulent visa applications, laundering millions in illicit payments, and posing as a legitimate immigration service.
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View on X"This DOJ is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
Prosecutors allege that from January 2021 through June 2025, the defendants ran a sham immigration business, ASESORIA Y SERVICIOS MIGRATORIOS LLC, which advertised asylum filings, work permits, and residency applications with false Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications. Instead, the company churned out boilerplate asylum claims, often without clients’ knowledge, while blocking them from accessing their own USCIS accounts.
The HSO promoted its services on social media and encrypted messaging platforms, including a WhatsApp group titled “TRÁMITE DE ESTA Y VISA DE TURISMO A USA PARA CIUDADANOS ESPAÑOLES,” (Processing ESTA and tourist visas to the US for Spanish citizens). Videos featured stacks of passports, plane tickets, and visa approvals to lure in clients.
Authorities say the defendants charged between $1,500 and $40,000 per person, sometimes chartering private flights to move groups across the border. Records show they spent more than $2.5 million on flights and funneled over $7 million through apps like Zelle. A financial review of 27 accounts revealed the operation pulled in more than $18 million.
The indictment also details how the smugglers trafficked unaccompanied minors, including instructing a teenage girl to pose as the lifelong friend of an unrelated man when crossing the border.
Those charged include:
Charges include conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering.
The indictment was secured through Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a DOJ–DHS partnership targeting human smuggling networks across the Western Hemisphere. Since its creation, JTFA has made over 410 arrests, secured more than 355 U.S. convictions, and seized substantial criminal assets.
US Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida praised interagency cooperation, saying, “Because of the coordination and diligence of our dedicated law enforcement agencies, their crimes have been thwarted. We will continue working with our partners to protect our national borders.”
ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons added that the conspiracy “preyed on vulnerable individuals and weakened public trust in the immigration system,” underscoring ICE’s role in dismantling smuggling networks.
The case is being prosecuted by the DOJ’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with support from multiple federal agencies and international partners.
Authorities say the investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a broader DOJ initiative aimed at eliminating human smuggling networks and protecting US communities from transnational criminal organizations.
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