A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Massena man will spend 18 months in federal prison for bringing two undocumented Chinese immigrants from the Canadian side of Akwesasne to the American side.
Aaron P. David, 21, was handed down the sentence Sept. 23 in U.S. District Court, Syracuse. He was also ordered to undergo three years’ post-release supervision.
He had pleaded guilty to the charges Feb. 24.
On Nov. 24, 2014, U.S. Border Patrol agents found two Chinese citizens, Tian Hua Zhou and Oi Wa Yeung, at the Econo Lodge bus station on state Route 37. Neither had documents stating they were in the country legally and neither had been inspected prior to entering the U.S. They each carried Hong Kong passports.
Zhou and Yeung entered the U.S. from Canada via a boat that carried them across the St. Lawrence River in Akwesasne. They allegedly admitted to this, and claimed they were trying to get to New York City.
They had a bus ticket with the name “A. David” and a second ticket with David’s girlfriend’s first initial and last name.
Documents filed with the court don’t say how agents tracked the case back to David, but say he admitted to picking the pair up in Snye and brought them across the border via an unguarded road.
The documents say David admitted to agreeing to be paid $1,000 for bringing them over the border, but was ultimately paid $800 Canadian.
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