According the Department of Justice, 12 people from Florida and Tennessee have been charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in an international conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering schemes that brought thousands of aliens illegally into the United States for profit. The Florida individuals were living in Hialeah and Tampa, Fl.
From January 2021 through June 2025, the defendants promoted bogus visa services online, claiming Cuban nationals could secure U.S. entry through false claims of European citizenship. They filed hundreds of fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, using fake addresses and fabricated documents.
The ASO promoted its services on social media accounts and encrypted messaging platforms, including a WhatsApp group titled, “TRÁMITE DE ESTA Y VISA DE TURISMO A USA PARA CIUDADANOS ESPAÑOLES” (Processing of ESTA and tourist Visas to the USA for Spanish citizens). One promotional video advertised the scheme by showing stacks of passports, airline tickets, and visa approvals.
What began as a small operation grew into a commercial enterprise. The defendants charged clients between $1,500 and $40,000, sometimes even chartering private planes to move groups of aliens. Records show they spent over $2.5 million on flights alone and funneled more than $7 million through payment apps such as Zelle. Based on a financial analysis conducted of 27 known accounts associated with the defendants and their co-conspirators, the alien smuggling organization took in over $18 million during the course of the conspiracy.
The ASO also smuggled unaccompanied minors. In one case, a teenage girl was told to pose as the lifelong friend of an unrelated adult man when crossing the border.
The defendants operated a sham immigration business, ASESORIA Y SERVICIOS MIGRATORIOS LLC, which promised asylum filings, work permits, and residency applications. In reality, the company churned out boilerplate asylum claims without clients’ knowledge or consent and even blocked them from accessing their own USCIS online accounts.
ASESORIA marketed itself on Instagram with flashy ads for immigration services while simultaneously posting videos of aliens being smuggled into the country.
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