Vonne Rolle, Smuggling Migrants, Florida 2020

Florida Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Smuggling Migrants

A federal judge in Ft. Pierce handed down a 151-month prison sentence to Vonne Rolle, a 29-year-old Bahamian man, for attempting to smuggle migrants into the United States on a poorly-equipped and overloaded boat while a hurricane warning was in effect.

Rolle, who was previously deported from the US in April 2018, attempted to pilot a vessel from Freeport, Bahamas, to the St. Lucie Inlet with twelve migrants on board on the night of July 30, 2020. The area was under a hurricane warning due to the approaching storm, Isaias.

The vessel, which was overloaded and not equipped with food, water, or life jackets, broke down prior to arriving in Florida. It drifted until a boater discovered it the next day. The United States Coast Guard rescued Rolle and the other migrants, including a minor, 26 miles off the coast of Stuart, Florida.

Rolle was arrested and charged with migrant smuggling. On December 11, 2020, he pled guilty to the charge. This is not the first time Rolle has been convicted of alien smuggling, having been previously convicted and sentenced in 2016 on a separate charge investigated by HSI in Fort Pierce, Florida.

HSI Miami investigated this case, with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover is prosecuting the case. A federal judge in Ft. Pierce handed down the 151-month sentence, which is equivalent to approximately 12.58 years.

Rolle's sentence serves as a reminder of the dangers of human smuggling and the consequences of attempting to bring migrants into the country through illicit means. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and HSI will continue to work together to combat human trafficking and hold those responsible accountable.

This case is a reminder that human smuggling is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences. We urge anyone with information about human smuggling to come forward and report it to the authorities.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/man-sentenced-ft-pierce-over-12-years-prison-smuggling-migrants-sea-hurricane