Man Indicted for Smuggling in Aliens unlawfully into the United States in a Crime that Resulted in the Death of a Three-Year-Old Haitian Boy

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment on January 4, 2023, charging Alcibades De Paz, a Dominican national, with smuggling aliens into the United States in a crime resulting in the death of a minor child; aiding and abetting; and improper entry of an alien.

“Transnational human smuggling and trafficking networks pose a serious criminal threat,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Our office will prosecute those who illegally smuggle individuals into the United States and routinely place these migrants’ lives in danger. We will continue efforts to disrupt and dismantle smuggling networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, and pose serious national security threats.”

According to court documents, Alcibades De Paz was the captain of a vessel that transported approximately 39 non-U.S. citizens in an attempted to enter Puerto Rico illegally. The human smuggling venture took place from the Dominican Republic to the United States through the West coast of Puerto Rico. De Paz is alleged to have operated the engine of the suspected vessel while law enforcement, including the Puerto Rico Police Bureau marine unit (Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida Acción, FURA), tried to intercept it. The vessel capsized before landing in Puerto Rico.

Among the 39 subjects on board, one was a three-year-old child who was found unresponsive in the water. He was taken to the hospital for medical attention but was pronounced dead after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts. His mother, who identified herself as Haitian, was one of the individuals aboard the vessel.

The incoming subjects, nationals of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Afghanistan, were apprehended and transported to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for further investigation, processing, and removal proceedings, but one of the illegal aliens, identified as Dominican national, absconded through the brush.

Defendant De Paz had his arraignment and bail hearing yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce McGiverin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico who ordered him detained pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty life in prison or the death penalty. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Rebecca González, and Desi Deleon, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, Ramey Sector, made the announcement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI); the United States Border Patrol, Ramey Sector; and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau marine unit (Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida Acción, FURA) are investigating the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney from ICE HSI Nadia Pineda is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###