Man Pleads Guilty in Human Smuggling Case at Canada-U.S. Border
Ortiz admitted to smuggling 12 people, including two young children, and expected $400 per person for the border crossing, prosecutors said.
- Jesus Hernandez Ortiz, a Puerto Rico resident, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy and alien smuggling charges for transporting 12 migrants, including two children, across the Canada-U.S. border into Vermont in September 2023.
- Ortiz was added to an encrypted chat platform used by smuggling drivers to coordinate transport operations. In September 2023, he rented a van in New Jersey and expected $400 per person for the illicit crossing.
- Stephanie Square, 53, a U.S.-based network leader operating through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, pleaded guilty to alien smuggling resulting in death. Square faces sentencing in November for a March 2023 boat capsize that killed five people.
- Rahsontanohstha Delormier, extradited from Canada in 2025, pleaded guilty in June and faces sentencing in October. The Department of Justice continues dismantling smuggling networks operating through the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.
- Co-Conspirators Dakota Montour, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, Janet Terrance, and Timothy Oakes have entered guilty pleas, signaling federal success in dismantling cross-border smuggling operations along the northern border.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Stephanie Square, who had been extradited from Canada, pleaded guilty in the United States in a human trafficking case that had led to the drowning of nine people in the St. Lawrence River while attempting to cross the border.
Another suspect pleads guilty after migrants killed crossing Canada-U.S. border
A fifth suspect has pleaded guilty in a human smuggling case that resulted in the death of a family, including two young kids under three years old, in the St. Lawrence River in March 2023.
Woman pleads guilty in St. Lawrence River smuggling operation that killed family
A dual Canadian-American citizen has pleaded guilty to her role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of a Romanian family of four and a boat operator in the St. Lawrence River.
Stephanie Square pleaded guilty in the United States in a human trafficking case that had led to the drowning of nine people.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 65% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
