Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Brazilian national living illegally in Worcester, Massachusetts, has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle people into the United States, money laundering, and illegal reentry. The sentencing is part of a larger international law enforcement effort targeting human smuggling operations in both the United States and Brazil.
Flavio Alexandre Alves, also known as “Ronaldo,” 42, received a 30-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman. He will also serve three years of supervised release and faces deportation after completing his sentence. In October 2025, Alves pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and transport aliens within the United States, conspiracy to launder money, and unlawful reentry after being deported. He was arrested on human smuggling charges in March 2025 and remains in federal custody.
Court documents show that Alves had previously been convicted of human smuggling offenses in California in 2004 and was deported to Brazil in February 2005. After his removal, he returned illegally to the United States without legal immigration status.
An investigation launched in April 2022 revealed that Alves joined a human smuggling organization (HSO) operating across the United States, Brazil, and Mexico starting in 2021. The group specialized in moving Brazilian nationals through Mexico into the U.S., laundering profits from these activities. Investigators found that Alves coordinated with partners abroad to arrange transportation for individuals from Brazil into the country and managed financial transactions related to these activities.
Alves purchased airline tickets for more than 100 individuals between May 2021 and August 2022 so they could travel from border cities like Tucson or Phoenix to other destinations throughout the U.S., shortly after encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Financial records indicated he sent hundreds of thousands of dollars via various methods—including using different names and addresses—to pay for travel expenses associated with illegal entry into the country.
He also collected payments from those being smuggled as fees for his services, keeping a portion before sending remaining funds to co-conspirators based in Mexico.
The case was developed under Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) Program—partnerships focused on dismantling transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling affecting border security. JTFA’s efforts have led to over 355 arrests domestically and internationally of key figures involved in alien smuggling networks; more than 315 convictions; over 260 significant jail sentences; as well as substantial asset forfeitures.
The ECT program brings together resources from multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), focusing on high-risk human smuggling networks posing national security or humanitarian concerns.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aiming at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime by leveraging resources across several task forces.
Sentences for conspiracy to bring or transport aliens can reach up to ten years imprisonment plus fines; money laundering conspiracies carry up to twenty years; unlawful reentry by a deported alien can result in up to twenty years imprisonment plus fines. Sentencing is determined according to federal guidelines.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brasília, Brazil Attaché Troy Clausen for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement today.”
Substantial assistance came from HSI offices across several cities including Brasilia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia as well as other federal units dedicated to combating international human trafficking operations.
