Man Sentenced for Alien Smuggling in North Country

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Wanxiang Chen, age 28, was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 8 months in prison as a result of his trial conviction for transporting aliens in the United States for the purpose of financial gain.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer.

Chen, a Chinese national who was residing in Flushing, New York, was convicted following a trial in March 2016 of transporting two Chinese citizens who were in the country illegally.  On August 11, 2015, he picked them up from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, New York, and was driving them to New York City when Border Patrol agents stopped his car in Fort Covington.  The evidence at trial demonstrated that Chen had made three prior smuggling trips, transporting aliens from the casino to New York City in exchange for cash payments. 

Chen has been incarcerated since his arrest on August 11, 2015, and since Chen himself was illegally in the United States, he will now be turned over to immigration authorities for possible removal proceedings.

This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.