WEST PALM BEACH

Two men indicted in fatal voyage

Two men accused of taking part in an alleged Haitian smuggling operation have been indicted by a grand jury.

BY JASON SCHULTZ
Palm Beach Post

WEST PALM BEACH -- Two men were formally indicted Friday on charges they attempted to smuggle a boat full of Haitian immigrants into Florida, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people when the boat sank, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Jimmy Metellus, 39, and Jean Monique Nelson, 32, both Haitian citizens, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of human smuggling resulting in death in connection with the May 13 incident, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office report.

The boat capsized, and survivors were found floating in the ocean about 16 miles east of the Boynton Beach Inlet, according to the report.

One of the 16 survivors rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard identified Metellus as the captain who piloted the boat from the Bahamas.

Metellus then identified Nelson as the man who arranged the trip, according to the report.

Among the immigrants who died in the water were a child and a woman who was pregnant. Another 10 people are believed to have died after the boat capsized, but their bodies were never found.

COULD FACE DEATH

Metellus and Nelson could face the death penalty if convicted.

One survivor, Harold Anglin, was also indicted on a charge of illegally entering the United States after having been previously deported. Anglin could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of that charge.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Vitunac told Metellus in May in a West Palm Beach courtroom that the deaths caused by the journey ``make you potentially eligible to face the death penalty for these charges.''

Metellus, a legal U.S. resident who does not speak English, answered ''oui'' when asked if he understood the charges against him.

Metellus told Vitunac that he has nine children and left the United States in September 2007 because he was ill and needed to return to Haiti for treatment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators say Metellus was hired by four men in the Bahamas and agreed to make the trip for free to escape hardships in Haiti.

The smugglers were allegedly paid thousands of dollars for the journey, which was supposed to go from Nassau to Bimini and then to the shores of Miami.

But on the way from Bimini, the boat carrying more than two dozen people sank in the waters off Boynton Beach.

ACCUSATION

In a criminal complaint filed in federal court, a man identified as ''Survivor-1'' said his brother paid $4,000 to have him smuggled into the United States. The survivor, a Haitian man, had been living in the Bahamas for about five months before embarking on the trip from Nassau with about 30 migrants.

The trip was organized by four men, one of whom is identified in documents as ``Shine.''

Metellus, who told authorities he had lost his green card during a hurricane in Haiti, said he needed to get to the United States because he was trying to support seven children. He was ''living a difficult life in Haiti,'' the complaint said.

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