Bahamian Alien Smuggler Sentenced to 20 Months in Federal Prison

MIAMI – A federal district judge in Miami sentenced a Bahamian national to 20 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to alien smuggling in January.

On Nov. 8, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers interdicted an alien smuggling vessel approximately six miles off the coast of Miami, Florida. The CBP vessel intercepted Keith Kevin Russell, 46, while he was transporting 18 individuals on his boat from The Bahamas to the United States. Russell initially refused to stop, only stopping when CBP officers shot warning flares near the vessel. The CBP officers brought the individuals from Russell’s boat onboard the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Richard Etheridge and confirmed that all the individuals were aliens who did not have authorization to enter the United States. The aliens on the vessel were from China, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. The Coast Guard officers and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents also determined that Patrick Angelo Percentie, 45, was a Bahamian alien that had been previously removed from the United States after a conviction for an aggravated felony.

USCG officers brought Russell and Percentie to shore to face charges. The rest of the aliens were returned to the Bahamas. Percentie also pled guilty and received a 16-month prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.

HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from CBP and USCG, 7th Coast Guard District. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl is prosecuting the case.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20514.

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