Latest news with #TimothyOakes
Vancouver Sun
19 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly St. Lawrence River human smuggling case
A dual Canadian-American citizen that United States authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday. The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15. Oakes, who is from Akwesasne which straddles the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal, was indicted in April for conspiring with others to smuggle people from Canada into the United States, as well as four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. U.S. court documents allege Oakes was a key facilitator in the smuggling operation which left a Romanian family of four, including two young children, dead in March 2023. The family, which were not named in the U.S. court documents, have been identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen. 'This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III said in a news release Tuesday. 'Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm's way.' Court documents allege that Oakes routinely smuggled people into the United States by boat across the St. Lawrence River. Documents said he was paid $1,000 per person. Court documents said Oakes housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours in March 2023 before transporting them along with a boat to a public launch site. His brother, Casey Oakes, was piloting the boat intending to reach northern New York. The boat ultimately capsized, killing all four members of the migrant family and Oakes' brother. A family of four from India were also on the boat and drowned but the U.S. indictment against Oakes does not include their deaths. Last year RCMP announced arrests in connection to the deaths of 50-year-old Praveenbhai Chaudhari, his 45-year-old wife Dakshaben, their 20-year-old son Meet and their daughter Vidhi, 23. Law enforcement have said Akwesasne's geography across the international border makes it a popular spot for smugglers of both humans and contraband. The U.S. Justice Department said those involved in the tragedy new about dangerous conditions on the St. Lawrence River on the day of the drownings. United States-based Dakota Montour, 31, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, and Janet Terrance, 45, previously entered guilty pleas in relation to the tragedy. The news release said Montour admitted he was aware of the dangerous weather — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was still loaded into the small boat. 'As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,' Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said in the news release. 'Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants' own brothers.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
19 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly St. Lawrence River human smuggling case
Article content A dual Canadian-American citizen that United States authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday. The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15. Article content Oakes, who is from Akwesasne which straddles the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal, was indicted in April for conspiring with others to smuggle people from Canada into the United States, as well as four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. U.S. court documents allege Oakes was a key facilitator in the smuggling operation which left a Romanian family of four, including two young children, dead in March 2023. The family, which were not named in the U.S. court documents, have been identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen. 'This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III said in a news release Tuesday. 'Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm's way.' Article content Court documents allege that Oakes routinely smuggled people into the United States by boat across the St. Lawrence River. Documents said he was paid $1,000 per person. Court documents said Oakes housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours in March 2023 before transporting them along with a boat to a public launch site. His brother, Casey Oakes, was piloting the boat intending to reach northern New York. The boat ultimately capsized, killing all four members of the migrant family and Oakes' brother. A family of four from India were also on the boat and drowned but the U.S. indictment against Oakes does not include their deaths. Last year RCMP announced arrests in connection to the deaths of 50-year-old Praveenbhai Chaudhari, his 45-year-old wife Dakshaben, their 20-year-old son Meet and their daughter Vidhi, 23. Law enforcement have said Akwesasne's geography across the international border makes it a popular spot for smugglers of both humans and contraband. Latest National Stories
National Post
19 hours ago
- National Post
Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly St. Lawrence River human smuggling case
A dual Canadian-American citizen that United States authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday. Article content The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15. Article content Article content Article content Oakes, who is from Akwesasne which straddles the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal, was indicted in April for conspiring with others to smuggle people from Canada into the United States, as well as four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Article content Article content The family, which were not named in the U.S. court documents, have been identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen. 'This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III said in a news release Tuesday. 'Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm's way.' Article content Court documents allege that Oakes routinely smuggled people into the United States by boat across the St. Lawrence River. Documents said he was paid $1,000 per person. Article content Article content Court documents said Oakes housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours in March 2023 before transporting them along with a boat to a public launch site. His brother, Casey Oakes, was piloting the boat intending to reach northern New York. Article content Article content The boat ultimately capsized, killing all four members of the migrant family and Oakes' brother. Article content A family of four from India were also on the boat and drowned but the U.S. indictment against Oakes does not include their deaths.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Man arrested for deadly immigrant smuggling operation that killed Romanian family of four and his own brother
A dual U.S.-Canadian citizen was arrested last month for his alleged role in an attempt to smuggle a Romanian family of four into the United States, which left them dead, including two young children. Timothy Oakes, 34, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) in Canada, was arrested on June 15 while trying to enter the U.S. via the Massena, New York, port of entry, the Justice Department said. He is charged with conspiring with others to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. He appeared in a federal court on Tuesday and was ordered held. His U.S.-based co-conspirators — Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, and Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, New York — have all entered guilty pleas. "Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved," said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants' own brothers." Oakes smuggled illegal immigrants from Canada into northern New York using boats to get across the St. Lawrence River, federal prosecutors said. He earned $1,000 per person, authorities said. In March 2023, Oakes housed a Romanian family of four, together with other aliens, for about 24 hours before allegedly taking them on his boat in an attempt to illegally bring them into the U.S. Oakes, his brother Casey, and the Romanian family were on the vessel when it capsized, killing the family, including two children under the age of 3, and his brother. "Two toddler-aged children and their parents were the tragic victims of an alien smuggling attempt gone horribly wrong," said Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol's Swanton Sector. "Their deaths were a direct result of callous smugglers who exploited the vulnerable." Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that they were employed to illegally transport the Romanian family — a mother, father, 1-year-old boy, and 2-year-old girl — from Canada into New York. Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the day of the smuggling attempt — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility, the Justice Department said.
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Montreal Gazette
Akwesasne man in custody in deadly human smuggling case
WASHINGTON — A dual Canadian-American citizen that United States authorities allege was part of a deadly human smuggling operation that left migrants drowned in the St. Lawrence River will remain in custody following a detention hearing in the Northern District of New York District Court on Tuesday. The U.S. Justice Department said 34-year-old Timothy Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States on June 15. Oakes, who is from Akwesasne, which straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and New York State, was indicted in April for conspiring with others to smuggle people from Canada into the United States, as well as four counts of alien smuggling for profit and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. U.S. court documents allege Oakes was a key facilitator in the smuggling operation that left a Romanian family of four, including two young children, dead in March 2023. The family, which were not named in the U.S. court documents, have been identified as Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen. 'This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John A. Sarcone III said in a statement Tuesday. 'Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm's way.' Court documents allege that Oakes routinely smuggled people into the United States by boat across the St. Lawrence River. Documents said he was paid $1,000 per person. Court documents said Oakes housed the Romanian family for about 24 hours in March 2023 before transporting them along with a boat to a public launch site. His brother, Casey Oakes, was piloting the boat intending to reach northern New York. The boat ultimately capsized, killing all four members of the migrant family and Oakes's brother. A family of four from India were also on the boat and drowned but the U.S. indictment against Oakes does not include their deaths. Last year, RCMP announced arrests in connection to the deaths of 50-year-old Praveenbhai Chaudhari, his 45-year-old wife Dakshaben, their 20-year-old son Meet and their daughter Vidhi, 23. Law enforcement have said Akwesasne's geography across the international border makes it a popular spot for smugglers of both humans and contraband. The U.S. Justice Department said those involved in the tragedy knew about dangerous conditions on the St. Lawrence River on the day of the drownings. United States-based Dakota Montour, 31, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, and Janet Terrance, 45, previously entered guilty pleas in relation to the tragedy. The statement said Montour admitted he was aware of the dangerous weather — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was still loaded into the small boat. 'As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,' Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said in the statement. 'Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants' own brothers.'
