Woman extradited to US over smuggling operation on Canadian border where family of 4 drowned in 2023

A dual citizen of Canada and the US appeared in a New York federal court on Friday after being extradited from Canada to face charges stemming from a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of a family of four in the St. Lawrence River.

Stephanie Square, 52, of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in Canada, was indicted in June 2024 by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of New York. She faces charges of conspiring to engage in human smuggling, four counts of smuggling for profit, and four counts of smuggling resulting in death.

Square was arrested in Canada in August 2024 at the request of US authorities. Her extradition marks a major development in a cross-border case that required close coordination between American and Canadian law enforcement agencies.

According to court documents, Square allegedly led a human smuggling organization that transported migrants across the US-Canada border through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reservation.

In late March 2023, investigators say a Canadian smuggler contacted Square to move a Romanian family of four, two adults and two small children, across the St. Lawrence River into the United States.

Despite warnings of dangerous weather, Square allegedly directed her associates to proceed with the operation.

On the night of March 29, 2023, the family was taken to the home of co-conspirator Timothy Oakes on Cornwall Island, a well-known hub for smuggling activity. Surveillance footage later captured Oakes towing a small blue boat toward a public launch.

Within hours, residents reported hearing cries for help on the river amid rough conditions. Authorities launched a search, eventually recovering the bodies of the entire family and Oakes’ boat. The boat’s captain, Case Oakes, was found months later.

Prosecutors allege that Square recruited several accomplices for the smuggling scheme, including Timothy Oakes, 34, who remains in custody awaiting trial. Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, and Dakota Montour, 31, both of Akwesasne, New York, pleaded guilty in October 2024 and January 2025, respectively, and Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, New York, pleaded guilty in March 2025.

Montour reportedly received instructions from Square during the incident, including messages directing him to search the riverbanks for the missing family and later to delete their communications.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Massena, with support from US Customs and Border Protection, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, and numerous Canadian law enforcement agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Ontario Provincial Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted with extradition efforts. The case is part of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a collaborative initiative between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security targeting transnational smuggling and trafficking networks. Since its creation, JTFA has led to more than 420 arrests and 370 convictions worldwide.

Prosecutors Jenna E. Reed of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Jeffrey Stitt of the Northern District of New York are handling the case. The prosecution also falls under Operation Take Back America, a national Justice Department effort to dismantle smuggling organizations and strengthen border security.