TAMPA, Oct. 30, 2026 — Five Cuban nationals and one U.S. citizen "were sentenced today for their roles in a vast conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering," the Justice Department said Thursday. It says the defendants were "Responsible for Over 1,700 Fraudulent Asylum Claims."
According to the department, migrants "were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for their smuggling services, and co-conspirators sometimes chartered private planes to move groups of aliens." Prosecutors say the group filed hundreds of fraudulent travel-authorization (ESTA) applications using fake addresses.
Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 27, got four years; Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30, got 30 months; and Miguel Martinez Vasconcelos, 31, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 32, and Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 32, each got two years, the release says.
"We will continue to work with our task force partners to thwart these illegal activities and ensure that our borders are protected," said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs release, Oct. 29, 2026.
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