Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Guatemalan man living unlawfully in the United States has pleaded guilty in federal court to encouraging and inducing an unaccompanied minor to enter the country illegally, as well as to fraudulently obtaining custody of the child through false statements. The plea was entered in Cleveland, according to federal authorities.
The defendant, Juan Tiul Xi, 26, previously convicted of sexual battery, admitted to helping a 14-year-old Guatemalan girl cross into the U.S. with her family’s consent. According to court documents, Tiul Xi assisted the girl and her family in finding someone from whom they could borrow money to pay a smuggler for her transport. He instructed the minor to use his sister’s name and birth certificate at the border so he could falsely claim to be her brother on a sponsorship application submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The application contained misrepresentations that led ORR to release custody of the girl to him in September 2023.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti stated: “This defendant directed a 14-year-old child to commit criminal conduct and then obtained custody of the child by defrauding a government program intended to help vulnerable children. Through Joint Task Force Alpha, the Criminal Division is fully committed to prosecuting those who take advantage of children and lie to undermine the integrity of government programs. We will strive to end the exploitation of these children and stop the manipulation of government programs by fraudsters, smugglers, and others engaged in serious criminal conduct.”
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio added: “Mr. Tiul Xi engaged in layers of deception. Committing one federal crime after another, he showed no regard or respect for this girl’s human dignity. We greatly appreciate the dedication of the investigative teams with Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Cleveland FBI, to protect minors from being victimized by the likes of these ruthless individuals.”
Tiul Xi was indicted on April 17, 2025. He pleaded guilty to three charges: encouraging or inducing illegal entry for financial gain (maximum ten years imprisonment), making false statements (up to five years), and aggravated identity theft (a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence). Sentencing is set for March 19, 2026; final penalties will be determined by a federal judge considering relevant guidelines.
The case was investigated under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), which coordinates efforts between agencies like Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and FBI field offices in Cleveland, as well as HSI teams based in Guatemala. JTFA targets human smuggling and trafficking organizations throughout North America and beyond. Since its creation, JTFA has been involved in hundreds of arrests both domestically and internationally related to human smuggling operations.
Prosecution was handled by members from several sections within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Northern District of Ohio.
