Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
A Bahamian national has been sentenced by a Miami federal district judge to 20 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to alien smuggling in January.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted Keith Kevin Russell, 46, on November 8, 2024, approximately six miles off the coast of Miami. Russell was transporting 18 individuals from The Bahamas to the United States. The authorities reported that Russell initially refused to comply, only stopping after CBP officers fired warning flares near his vessel. The individuals from the boat were transferred to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Richard Etheridge, where it was confirmed that all were unauthorized aliens from China, Haiti, Jamaica, and The Bahamas.
In addition, it was determined that Patrick Angelo Percentie, 45, a Bahamian alien who had previously been removed from the United States following a conviction for an aggravated felony, was among those on board. Percentie was also charged and pled guilty, receiving a 16-month prison sentence.
The announcement of the sentences was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office.
The HSI Miami, with assistance from CBP and the USCG 7th Coast Guard District, conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl is prosecuting the case.
Details can be verified in the related court documents available at the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website or through the PACER system under case number 24-cr-20514.
