Akwesasne man pleads guilty in migrant smuggling case that left two toddlers and their parents dead

Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023, after a boat capsized in Akwesasne, Que. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz)

Rahsontanohstha Delormier, 31, has pleaded guilty to his role in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of two children under the age of three and their parents in the Saint Lawrence River.

“(Delormier’s) actions led to the deaths of two young children and their parents — a loss that will be felt forever by their family and the North Country community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office.

“In response to this tragedy, HSI Massena and our federal, state, tribal, and Canadian partners worked tirelessly to dismantle this deadly smuggling organization, sending a clear message that those who endanger lives at our border will be identified, brought to justice and removed from our communities.”

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Delormier, also known as Storm of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR), is a dual Canadian-American citizen.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), he was “a boat driver for a human smuggling organization that smuggled aliens from Canada into northern New York.”

Delormier was arrested in Canada in August 2024.

“This case is a tragic example of what happens when alien smugglers act for their own greed with callous disregard for human life and for the orderly administration of our nation’s immigration laws,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“Through investigations and prosecutions, we will continue to eliminate alien smuggling networks that flout our laws and evade lawful entry at our borders.”

• READ MORE: RCMP bust suspected human smuggling ring operating in the Cornwall, Ont. area

The DOJ explained that on the night from March 28 to 29, 2023, “a co-conspirator travelled to mainland Cornwall, Ont., and transported a family of four Romanian aliens to Cornwall Island in a truck provided by Delormier.”

“Delormier launched a boat from a landing in Saint-Régis, Que., intending to pick up the family, but due to high winds, freezing temperatures and limited visibility on the Saint Lawrence River, Delormier’s boat broke down, and he became stranded on Saint-Régis Island,” the DOJ said.

“Later that night, a co-conspirator transported the Romanian family to a public boat launch on the tip of Cornwall Island, where a different boat pilot picked them up and attempted to take the family across the Saint Lawrence River,” it said.

“While in transit, the boat capsized due to severe weather. As a result, the Romanian family and the boat driver died.”

• READ MORE: ‘Dismantled’ human smuggling group tied to dead migrants in St. Lawrence River: RCMP

On June 26, Delormier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

“Although this smuggling attempt ended in tragedy, let this case serve as a warning: Those who attempt to unlawfully bring individuals into our country will be stopped, identified and brought to justice,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarone III for the Northern District of New York.

• READ MORE: Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly human smuggling case

Several of Delormier’s co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty to charges, including Timothy Oakes, 35, on May 11.

An additional person, Stephanie Square, 53, of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Territory in Canada, was extradited to the U.S. in 2025 and is awaiting trial.