Acting United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced that Omaily Sanchez Taveras, a 36-year-old Dominican national, has been sentenced to ten months in prison for alien smuggling. The sentencing was carried out by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy on May 30, 2025, following a two-day jury trial where Taveras was found guilty of smuggling ten illegal aliens from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico.
Court records reveal that on October 13, 2024, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations in St. Thomas received information about a vessel suspected of loading illegal aliens in Fortuna Bay, located on the western end of St. Thomas. Agents discovered an anchored vessel near West Cay with eleven illegal aliens onboard, including the captain, Taveras. Among the passengers were four individuals from the Dominican Republic, four from Romania, and two from Brazil, all of whom had paid Taveras for transport to Culebra.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and CBP-MIA and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everard E. Potter and Denise George.
