MIAMI – April 15, 2025 — A Cuban woman who entered the U.S. illegally has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison for her role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 16 people, including children, during a failed maritime journey from Cuba to Florida.
Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves, 25, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom after pleading guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to smuggle aliens and related charges. Judge Bloom imposed a sentence above the recommended federal guidelines, citing the severity of the offense and the tragic loss of life.
According to federal prosecutors, Dominguez-Nieves and her boyfriend organized a for-profit smuggling trip in November 2024, arranging for 18 Cuban migrants to be transported by boat from Playa Jaimanitas, Cuba, across the Florida Straits. The vessel, a small fishing boat that lacked life jackets and was piloted by an inexperienced captain, capsized approximately 30 miles into the journey.
Sixteen passengers drowned, and their bodies were later recovered, including three that washed ashore in Monroe County. Two survivors told investigators the boat was dangerously overcrowded and ill-equipped for the voyage.
Investigators found that Dominguez-Nieves had collected more than $11,500 from relatives of the passengers in South Florida to fund the journey.
The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office, with support from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West, U.S. Border Patrol, the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.
The prosecution is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a Justice Department initiative aimed at disrupting illegal immigration networks, dismantling transnational criminal organizations, and combating violent crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller led the prosecution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and CGIS Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Margelot announced the sentencing.
