Akwesasne man pleads guilty to human smuggling after family of 4 dies crossing into U.S.

Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left six people dead and one infant missing in Akwesasne, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

A dual Canadian-American citizen has pleaded guilty for his role in smuggling migrants from Canada into the United States, including a family of four that died in 2023.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Timothy Oakes, 35, from Akwesasne, the Mohawk territory that straddles the Canada-U.S. border west of Montreal, was a “key facilitator” in the operation and would earn about $1,000 for every migrant he smuggled into the U.S.

The DOJ said he pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. He faces a minimum of five years behind bars and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

According to U.S. authorities, he helped bring a family of four Romanian nationals to a boat on Cornwall Island on March 29, 2023. From there, his brother, Casey Oakes, used the boat to bring the family across the St. Lawrence River toward the U.S. border but the boat capsized during severe weather. The family of four and Casey Oakes died.

The Romanian family was identified as Florin Iordache, 28; his wife, Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, 28; their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen. Both children were Canadian citizens.

“The defendant proceeded with the transport despite members of the [migrant] smuggling organization being aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the St. Lawrence River, specifically high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility,” the DOJ said in the news release.

According to the prosecutors, Oakes routinely used his home on Cornwall Island as a “staging area” to temporarily house migrants from various countries before smuggling them into northern New York state.

His co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 32, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 45, both from the American side of Akwesasne, and Janet Terrance, 46, of Hogansburg, N.Y., entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, Oct. 8, 2024, and March 6, 2025, respectively.

Meanwhile, his other co-conspirators, Stephanie Square, 53, and Rahsontanohstha Delormier, also known as Storm, 31, both of Akwesasne in Canada, were extradited to the United States in 2025 at the request of the U.S. government and are awaiting trial.

Oakes will be sentenced on Sept. 11.

With files from The Canadian Press