FLORIDA – A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Miami-Dade County man to 14 years and seven months in prison for his role in an alien smuggling operation that moved about 1,000 Cuban migrants from Cuba to Mexico and then, into the United States, according
U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard also ordered Eliezer Lazo, 41, to pay a $17,500 fine and forfeit his right to $1.49 million in cash along with several properties and a vehicle, according to officials.
Lazo pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit extortion for his role in an alien smuggling operation, officials said.
According to court documents, many of the Cuban migrants pre-paid for their illegal journey to the United States. Other migrants were Cuban baseball players who paid for the journey by entering into a contract with Lazo’s company—Estrellas del Beisbol—in which the migrants agreed to pay Lazo a share of their respective earnings from U.S. baseball teams.
A third group of migrants, comprising of approximately 100 migrants, did not pre-pay for their journey and were held and restrained in Mexico. These migrants were beaten during phone calls with family members who were forced to pay $10,000 for the release of their relatives, officials said.