He smuggled Bahamian migrants to South Florida ahead of a hurricane. That means prison
As Hurricane Isaias churned in the Atlantic last year, 13 people boarded a rickety boat in Freeport, Bahamas, and headed toward South Florida.
The man at the helm, according to the Department of Justice was Vonne Rolle, 29, who in 2016 was convicted and sentenced for migrant smuggling. He was deported from the U.S. in 2018.
Rolle, who pleaded guilty in December, was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge to 12 years in federal prison for the 2020 smuggling operation.
According to the complaint, despite a hurricane warning in the Bahamas, Rolle loaded the boat with 12 other people and headed out the night of July 30.
“The vessel, which was overloaded and not equipped with food, water, or life jackets, broke down prior to arriving in Florida,” the DOJ said in a news release.
The next day, a good Samaritan spotted the stranded boat about 23 miles east of Stuart and notified the Coast Guard. According to the complaint, Rolle told investigators he was the captain and he “admitted to knowing he was illegally transporting aliens to the United States.”
He also said he was headed to the St. Lucie Inlet and planned to connect with his father.
“Prior to embarking, Rolle was aware of the approaching storm (Hurricane Isaias),” an investigator wrote. “Rolle also admitted the boat should only carry five to six individuals, but during this trip 13 people were on board.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 4:31 PM.
