Six Sentenced in $22M Cuban Smuggling Scheme

Six people—five Cuban nationals and one U.S. citizen—were sentenced in federal court in Florida for participating in a migrant-smuggling and immigration-fraud network. The sentences ranged from two to four years in prison, with the longest term given to Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, who managed an immigration-services business and personally filed hundreds of false asylum applications. Prosecutors say the network recruited clients through social media, charged $1,500 to $40,000 per person, and arranged travel through the southern border or with fraudulent travel authorizations. After clients arrived, the group submitted more than 1,700 fraudulent asylum claims and laundered over $22 million between 2021 and 2025.