Four Arrested During Alien Smuggling Attempt

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that U.S. Border Patrol Agents arrested four persons during an alien smuggling episode near the Vermont-Canadian international border on Saturday night, February 27, 2016.

A Criminal Complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Burlington alleges that, at approximately 8:20 PM on February 27, 2016, the Tactical Communications Center of the United States Border Patrol’s Swanton sector received a report of possible cross-border illegal activity near Derby, VT. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Newport station responded to the area and watched a man lead two other persons south across the international border in a remote rural area. South of the border, the three persons were picked-up by a 2008 Infinity automobile with New Jersey license plates. As the car proceeded south on Interstate 91, Border Patrol agents then performed a traffic stop and arrested the four occupants.

The occupants of the Infinity were all natives of the Ukraine and Georgia. The two persons in the front seat had obtained U.S. Citizenship and are suspected of smuggling into the country the two passengers in the back seat, neither of whom had legal authority to be in the United States. The front seat passenger had guided the two backseat passengers over the border. The driver and owner of the car, Tamar Toradze, had driven north to the border area with her front seat passenger to pick-up the two in the back seat.

The Criminal Complaint charged the driver, Tamar Toradze, 27, and her front seat passenger, Levan Arutinov, 25, with alien smuggling and conspiracy. If convicted, they each face a maximum of ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Because Arutinov is a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States, he also faces removal from the United States and a bar to reentry.

One of the illegal aliens, Mykhaylo Andrushko, a 48 year old citizen of the Ukraine, had been previously removed from the United States. He allegedly produced a Hungarian passport with a false name when confronted by Border Patrol agents. A Criminal Complaint charges him with reentry after removal. He faces a maximum of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. He also faces removal from the United States and bar to reentry. The other illegal alien, Nino Lempanintze, a 33 year-old native and resident of Georgia with Greek citizenship, is detained as a material witness.

All four persons had court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy on February 29 and March 1, 2016.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that these charges are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.

“This is a great example of some of the training and unique skills our agents use to perform their border security mission,” said Patrol Agent in Charge Fernando Beltran. “I commend these agents for their work securing our border with Canada.” The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York. The assistance of citizens is invaluable to their border security mission and they welcome community members to help them keep our nation’s borders safe and report suspicious activity at 1-800-689-3362.

For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.

United States Attorney Eric S. Miller commended the investigative efforts of the United States Border Patrol.

The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Darrow. Taradze is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Vermont. Arutinov is represented by attorney Mark Oettinger. Andrushko is represented by attorney “Bud” Allen. Lempanintze is represented by attorney Robert Behrens.