Akwesasne Resident Admits Illegal Transportation of Alien

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kanento Boots, age 63, of Akwesasne, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced today to time served (111 days in jail) and 1 year of supervised release for illegally transporting an alien within the United States.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.

Boots pled guilty on August 15, 2017. He admitted that on May 23, 2017, on the Akwesasne reservation near Hogansburg, New York, he picked up a Hungarian man, Zsolt Mihaly, who had just crossed the border illegally from Canada. Boots drove Mihaly a short distance and Mihaly then got into the car of another driver, Constantin Chiriac. All three were arrested.

Mihaly pled guilty on June 6 to illegal entry into the United States, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 36 days in jail. Chirac pled guilty on July 17 to illegal transportation of an alien and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18.

This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.