Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling in Connection With Deaths of 8 Migrants in Akwesasne

Searchers look for victims Friday, on 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 American-Canadian citizen has pleaded guilty for his role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of eight migrants in the St. Lawrence River in 2023.

The U.S. Department of Justice says 35-year-old Timothy Oakes pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, to four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and to four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death.