Trafficking in Persons—Acquittal

A Toronto man accused of trafficking in persons has been acquitted in Buffalo, New York.^[1] Smedley Prescod was arrested in January and was accused of accepting $4,000 to arrange for an illegal alien to enter the United States in the summer of 2004.^[2] The government alleged that Mr. Prescod arranged a raft trip which ferried eight illegal aliens across the Niagara River; the jury, however, determined that there was no solid evidence that Mr. Prescod did so.^[3]

Mr. Prescod was charged under 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(i) which states that it is a crime for a person to bring a person known to be an alien into the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry. The punishment for violating this section for private financial gain is a fine, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.^[4]

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[1] Toronto Man Acquitted of Human Trafficking, BuffaloNews.com, Oct. 26, 2005, available here.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(B)(i).