Thread: Men Arrested with Smuggling Illegals

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/ne ... 2207a.html

January 22, 2007

Two Men Arrested, Charged with Smuggling Illegal Aliens from the Bahamas

JAN 22 -- Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Anthony V. Mangione, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), announced the federal arrests of boat captain Rickey Thompson and first mate Leon Brice Johnson for conspiracy and substantive charges related to the December 28, 2006, smuggling of ten illegal aliens into the United States from the Bahamas. The smuggling venture resulted in the death of one of the aliens. Both Thompson and Johnson are facing a maximum of life imprisonment on the charges.

According to the complaint, on December 28, 2006, at approximately 11:00 p.m., law enforcement officers discovered a 35 foot vessel grounded at Blowing Rocks Preserve in Martin County, Florida. Near the boat, authorities found a black duffle bag containing approximately 83 pounds of marijuana and 1 kilogram of cocaine. Aboard the boat, they recovered a silver Smith and Wesson handgun. After searching the area, officers located nine illegal aliens who had been passengers on the boat. The body of a tenth migrant was found floating in the water near the vessel. The Martin County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be drowning. According to the charging document, interviews of the survivors revealed that each migrant had paid Thompson between $2,000 and $4,000 for transportation from the Bahamas to the United States. The migrants waited in Freeport, Bahamas, for days or weeks for the boat to leave. On December 28, 2006, Thompson and Johnson loaded the migrants aboard the vessel and left for the United States. Once on board the vessel, Johnson searched each of the migrants and removed their cell phones. During the trip to the United States, Thompson and Johnson steered without lights and stopped frequently to avoid detection by the U.S. Coast Guard. When the vessel approached the shore near Jupiter Island, in Martin County, Florida, Thompson ordered the migrants off the boat in deep, rough waters, although one of the aliens had previously told Thompson that he could not swim. When this individual was ordered off the boat, he again told Thompson and Johnson that he could not swim, but was still ordered to jump off the boat. After jumping into the water, many of the aliens could hear others yelling for help and struggling to stay above the water. Nine of the migrants made it to shore; the lifeless body of the migrant who could not swim was found near the grounded vessel.

Mr. Acosta commended the DEA, ICE, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Jupiter Island Police Department, and the Tequesta Police Department for their assistance in this investigation

I predict these guys will receive maximum sentences for their crimes.
- Not in the name of justice, but for public appeasement.
This is the same manor the so called "war on drugs" was conducted (rather 'perpetrated') - arrest and make examples of the non-sanctioned violators, while using US military equipment to transport ton's of contraband into America (or in this case aliens)

- Our government hates competition.

Defendants Charged In Superseding Indictment With Murder, Alien Smuggling And Importing of Narcotics

Posted on Tuesday, April 10, 2007




LAWFUEL - Law Newswire - R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, Miami Field Division, announced today the filing of a Superseding Indictment, charging additional murder, alien smuggling and narcotics trafficking charges against boat captain Rickey Thompson and first mate Leon Brice Johnson, in connection with an August 2006 smuggling venture from the Bahamas to Jupiter Island. Thompson and Johnson were previously charged with murder, alien smuggling and narcotics trafficking charges, in connection with a December 2006 smuggling trip, also from the Bahamas to Jupiter Island, Florida. Both Thompson and Johnson are facing a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment on the charges.

According to the Superseding Indictment, in August 2006, defendants Rickey Thompson and Leon Brice Johnson arranged to transport six illegal aliens from Freeport, Bahamas, to Jupiter Island, aboard Thompson’s 35 foot vessel. The aliens paid Thompson fees ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 for the trip and were assured that Thompson would drop them off on the beach or in water no higher than their ankles. Thompson’s boat left Freeport, Bahamas, on August 15, 2006 for Jupiter Island.



Thompson drove the boat without lights to avoid detection and made frequent stops whenever he believed he saw or heard a Coast Guard vessel. At approximately 2:00 am on August 16, 2006, Thompson’s boat approached Jupiter Island. Thompson stopped the boat in deep, rough waters off the shore of Jupiter Island and ordered the aliens off the boat. Several of the aliens complied with the order and jumped; however, others who could not swim, including Roselyne Lubin and Alnert Charles, Haitian nationals, remained on the boat. Johnson then forced the remaining aliens off the boat at gun point. The aliens jumped over and attempted to swim to shore. Four of the aliens made it to shore; the lifeless bodies of Ms. Lubin and Mr. Alnert were found floating in the water near Jupiter Island.

Law enforcement officers responding to the area where the aliens had landed recovered several duffle bags containing approximately 12 kilos of cocaine.

Mr. Acosta commended the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, Jupiter Island Police Department, and Tequesta Police Department for their investigation of this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adrienne Rabinowitz and Ellen Cohen.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov/.

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=11613

Man pleads guilty to federal charges in smuggling deaths
By CARA FITZPATRICK

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

A smuggler accused of causing the deaths of three illegal immigrants during two incidents off Martin and Palm Beach counties in 2006 has pleaded guilty to federal charges, officials announced Monday.

Leon Brice Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to one count of conspiracy to smuggle immigrants, three counts of immigrant smuggling resulting in death and two counts of conspiracy to import controlled substances for his role in two smuggling operations from the Bahamas to Jupiter Island, according to a statement.



The announcement was made by officials from the Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Officials were not available for comment Monday.

Johnson faces a maximum of five life sentences on the charges.

One man, Nigel Warren, died Dec. 28, 2006, during one of the operations when he tried to swim to shore from a 33-foot boat before it crashed off Blowing Rocks Preserve.

The other passengers, all Jamaican men, were captured near the shore.

They told investigators that Johnson was co-captain of the boat along with another man, Rickey Thompson. Both were arrested by Martin County deputies.

The immigrants said they paid between $1,500 and $4,000 each for passage to the United States from the Bahamas, only to be forced off the boat at gunpoint more than 100 yards off Jupiter Island, officials said.

Johnson and Thompson also were charged with a similar incident on Aug. 16, during which prosecutors allege they forced people off a boat in rough waters off Tequesta. Two Haitian nationals, Roselyne Lubin and Alnert Charles, were found dead floating in the water off Jupiter Island.

The men also transported narcotics, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana during the two trips, authorities said.

www.palmbeachpost.com

Case of illegal immigrants deaths begins
By Derek Simmonsen

Thursday, June 12, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — Opening statements were delivered Wednesday in the trial of a Bahamian boat captain accused of causing the deaths of three illegal immigrants he was trying to smuggle onto Jupiter Island.

The case against Rickey Thompson, 41, being heard in federal court before U.S. District Judge Daniel Hurley, is expected to last about three weeks.

Thompson faces 30 charges, including 14 counts of alien smuggling, three counts of smuggling leading to death, and second-degree murder, conspiracy and drug charges. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on some of the charges.

Thompson and the ship's mate Leon Brice Johnson, 40, were arrested in December 2006 after their speedboat crashed in rough seas off Jupiter Island while they tried to smuggle a group of immigrants from the Bahamas. Investigators found the body of one of the immigrants, Nigel Warren, of Jamaica, floating in the surf.

The immigrants, who came from Jamaica, Haiti and Romania, said Warren was forced into the water at gunpoint, even though he couldn't swim. Investigators also tied the pair to the deaths of two Haitian citizens, Roselyn Lubin and Alnert Charles, whose bodies were discovered in August 2006 after another smuggling trip.

Surviving immigrants picked Thompson and Johnson out of a photo line-up after the August trip, but the two men weren't located until several months later when the Martin County Sheriff's Office found them trying to get a taxi a day after the December boat crash.

Johnson pleaded guilty to charges of alien smuggling resulting in death and conspiracy in March as part of a deal with prosecutors. Johnson, who could testify against Thompson at trial, will be sentenced July 11.


www.tcpalm.com

Smuggler found guilty in immigrant fatalities
By Megan V. Winslow

Thursday, July 3, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — Two days of deliberation ended Wednesday afternoon when Rickey Thompson's jury convicted him of all 30 criminal counts he faced for two smuggling trips that left three illegal immigrants dead.

Several of the convictions, including second- degree murder and alien smuggling resulting in death, carry a potential penalty of life in prison.

Roselyne Lubin and Alnert Charles of Haiti, and Nigel Warren of Jamaica drowned off Jupiter Island during smuggling trips Thompson ran in August and December 2006. Survivors identified Thompson as their captain and his shipmate as Leon Brice Johnson, a U.S. citizen who struck a deal with prosecutors.

Survivors said they paid between $1,500 and $4,000 each to secure a spot on Thompson's 36-foot power boat between Freeport, Bahamas, and the deserted Blowing Rocks Preserve beach. But instead of a shore landing, as promised, Thompson used a gun to order passengers who couldn't swim to jump from his idling boat so it would not run aground, prosecutors said.

Thompson also placed his passengers in danger by smuggling drugs on the trips, snorting cocaine while speeding in the dark without lights and failing to distribute life vests, prosecutors said.

On the witness stand, Thompson, 43, denied any involvement with the August trip and said he never forced anyone from his boat during the December trip. He denied knowledge of the 12 kilos of cocaine authorities recovered from the August trip or the heroin, cocaine and 83 pounds of marijuana they found after the December trip.

Thompson said Warren caused his own death by wearing too many layers of clothing and panicking when the weight pulled him under the waves.

"I'm a loving person," Thompson testified. "I don't prey on nobody. I was not brought up like that."

Authorities caught Thompson and Johnson hours after the December landing when their boat beached and they tried to escape Martin County by hiring a cab driver who drove them straight to law enforcement officials.

Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to smuggle aliens, three counts of alien smuggling resulting in death and two counts of conspiracy to import controlled substances into the U.S. He faces a maximum life sentence at a July 11 hearing.

A sentencing date for Thompson has not yet been set, but his attorney, David Patrick Rowe of Fort Lauderdale, said he plans to appeal.

Thompson feels like a "scapegoat" for the government's failure to help embattled Caribbean nations and effectively solve the illegal immigrant problem, Rowe said.

"They spent a lot of money on this trial to convict a fisherman who is merely helping refugees go from a place of danger to a place of safety," Rowe said. "Under different circumstances, Mr. Thompson might be considered a hero."

THOMPSON'S CHARGES

•3 counts of second-degree murder

•3 counts of alien smuggling resulting in death

•14 counts of alien smuggling placing lives in jeopardy

•4 counts of importation of controlled substances (cocaine, heroin and marijuana)

•3 counts of conspiracy

•2 counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence

•1 count of illegal re-entry after deportation

www.tcpalm.com