Plattsburgh woman accused of human smuggling

ALBANY | A local woman was recently arraigned after a federal grand jury in Albany returned an indictment charging her for her role in an international alien smuggling conspiracy that brought aliens primarily from India into the United States across the northern border. According to court records, U.S. Border Patrol agents interdicted Stacey Taylor's vehicle near Churubusco in the early morning hours of Jan. 20. Upon encountering the 42-year-old Plattsburgh woman, U.S. Border Patrol located four foreign nationals inside her vehicle. Agents then determined the four men, three Indian nationals and one Canadian national, had just crossed the U.S.-Canadian border illegally, without inspection, in the freezing cold. When law enforcement later examined the defendant's cellphone, they observed text messages that indicated that the defendant had been involved in multiple other smuggling ventures in the days prior. Since her January 2025 arrest, Taylor was subsequently stopped in a suspected alien smuggling venture in August 2025 and was implicated in alien smuggling as recently as September 2025. According to the indictment, Taylor is charged with conspiring with others to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for profit, with three counts being second or subsequent offenses. If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison per count of alien smuggling for profit, and additional time for second and subsequent offenses. Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York made the announcement Dec. 5. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Rouse's Point and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol Champlain Station are investigating the case. HSI's Human Smuggling Unit in Washington D.C. and International Interdiction Task Force provided significant assistance. The investigation is a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating within the Americas that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys' Offices along the southwest border, the Northern District of New York, the District of Vermont, and the Southern District of Florida. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA's work has resulted in more than 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets. Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division's HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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Plattsburgh woman accused of human smuggling

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