Sports Agent Charged in Cuban Baseball-Player Smuggling Scheme

Oct. 31, 2006 — -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced today the indictment of Beverly Hills, Calif., sports agent Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez, charging him with smuggling potential Major League baseball players from Cuba to the United States.

The indictment, unsealed today in a Miami federal court, alleges that Dominguez, along with four others, conspired to use go-fast boats to smuggle Cubans to the United States and to house and shelter Cuban baseball players in California.

According to the indictment, "It was the purpose and object of the conspiracy for the defendants to unlawfully enrich themselves by smuggling Cuban Major League baseball prospects as well as other Cuban nationals."

"The ringleaders put the lives of illegal immigrants at risk and sought to profit from their labor," ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that those who claim to support Major League Baseball taint America's pastime with these illegal human smuggling operations."

Below is the full report from The Associated Press:

MIAMI (AP) - A baseball players agent illegally smuggled Cubanplayers into the United States, eventually shipping them toCalifornia in hopes that they would be signed by major leagueteams, federal immigration officials said Tuesday.

The agent, Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez, is charged with payingfour aides to transport the athletes and other Cubans to the U.S.in two trips from the island nation. Dominguez, of California-basedTotal Sports International, has represented several Cuban baseballdefectors, including Andy Morales, who was signed into the New YorkYankees and Boston Red Sox minor league systems after fleeing Cubasix years ago.

Also charged in the 53-count federal indictment were GeoffreyRodrigues, Robert Yosvany Hernandez, Ramon Batista, and GuillermoValdez.

Julie Myers, an assistant secretary of the U.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement, said in a statement that "though this caseinvolves a Beverly Hills sports agent and talented baseballplayers, it is remarkably similar to the human smuggling operationsthat ICE encounters every day. The ringleaders put the lives ofillegal immigrants at risk and sought to profit from their labor."Calls to the agency were not immediately returned.