A federal jury convicted Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 28, of running a $20 million scheme that smuggled thousands of Cubans into the U.S. through his Hialeah travel agency. He faces up to 20 years at a Dec. 17 sentencing.
The three conspiracy counts were for alien smuggling for financial gain, international money laundering and money-laundering concealment. Prosecutors said the group filed at least 600 false U.S. ESTA applications, claiming Cuban applicants had European citizenship and had not been on the island since 2011; Cubans are ineligible for the visa-waiver program. They said more than $20 million was laundered through 57 bank accounts. From 2021 to 2024, more than $600,000 was wired abroad to buy flights moving migrants from Cuba through third countries and across the U.S. southern border; Cabrera-Rodriguez also arranged domestic flights.
Seven co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, was sentenced in July to 30 months in prison.
