Florida man convicted in $20M Cuban human smuggling scheme

A federal jury in Florida has convicted Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, a 28-year-old Hialeah resident, for his role in a massive human smuggling and money laundering scheme. Operating under the guise of a travel agency, Asesoria y Servicios Migratorios LLC, the network targeted Cuban nationals, charging between $1,500 and $40,000 to facilitate their entry into the United States.

To bypass immigration restrictions, the organization submitted at least 600 fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications. The scheme falsely claimed applicants were European citizens who had not visited Cuba since 2011. The network coordinated travel through third countries and occasionally chartered private aircraft to move groups of migrants.

Prosecutors revealed that the criminal enterprise laundered over $20 million through 57 different bank accounts. Cabrera-Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, with his sentencing scheduled for December 17.