A 24-year-old Cuban man from Hialeah, Florida, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in an international people-smuggling, asylum fraud and money-laundering conspiracy that prosecutors said moved more than US $97,000 through the Cayman Islands.

U.S. authorities said Erik Ventura-Castro helped operate a scheme that used fraudulent travel documents and false claims of European citizenship to bring Cuban nationals into the United States unlawfully.

The investigation involved U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, the U.S. Border Patrol's Miami Sector and USCIS's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate. Authorities in the Cayman Islands also assisted the investigation.

How the scheme operated

According to court documents, Ventura-Castro conspired with others between January 2021 and June 2025 to operate a people-smuggling organisation that advertised its services on social media.

Prosecutors alleged the group targeted Cuban nationals, encouraging them to enter the United States using fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications and visa-waiver arrangements.

Investigators said some applicants falsely claimed European citizenship to qualify for travel under the ESTA programme or other visa-waiver provisions. The group also allegedly submitted hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications to U.S. Customs and Border Protection using fabricated documents and false addresses.

According to prosecutors, Ventura-Castro advertised travel routes from Cuba to the United States through third countries, helped applicants obtain fraudulent ESTAs and submitted more than 40 electronic payments linked to the false applications.

Court documents state that co-conspirators also chartered private aircraft to transport groups of migrants. Prosecutors said those using the smuggling network paid between US $1,500 and US $40,000, depending on the route and method of travel.

Ventura-Castro also transferred more than US $97,000 from the United States to the Cayman Islands, Colombia and Mexico to pay for flights used in the smuggling operation, according to prosecutors. Investigators alleged those transfers formed part of the money-laundering conspiracy.

Ventura-Castro pleaded guilty on 7 May to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the sentence reflected the agency's efforts to combat immigration fraud.

"Today's sentencing is evidence of our all-out war on immigration fraud," Edlow said. "USCIS is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to dismantle this criminal enterprise," he added.

The investigation resulted in a superseding indictment charging 12 people. Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, while others are due to stand trial.

Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez and Walbis Pozo-Dutel have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are scheduled to stand trial on 21 September.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida.

Cayman connection

While U.S. prosecutors said more than US $97,000 linked to the conspiracy was transferred through the Cayman Islands, court documents do not allege that the jurisdiction itself played an operational role in the people-smuggling scheme. Cayman authorities were credited by U.S. investigators with assisting the investigation.

The Caymanian Journal has contacted Cayman Customs and Border Control, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Cayman Islands Government seeking comment on the jurisdiction's role in the investigation, whether any local offences were identified and whether any enforcement action was taken. No responses had been received at the time of publication.