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.

Dominguez's assistant, who would not give his full name, saidTotal Sports would not comment and he wouldn't clarify therelationship of the four other defendants or whether they workedfor the company. A message left on Dominguez's voicemail was notimmediately returned.

It was not known whether any of the defendants had obtainedattorneys.

Prosecutors say Rodrigues and Dominguez traveled by boat to Cubaon July 28, 2004, and loaded 22 Cubans aboard, but were interceptedby U.S. authorities at sea. Less than a month later, on Aug. 22,2004, authorities say the two men successfully brought 19 Cubansinto the country.

According to the indictment, the defendants transported theathletes to Los Angeles by van, rented an apartment for them,provided them with food and clothing and began training them. Itcould not be immediately determined if any of the Cubans have beensigned by major league teams.

All five men are charged with conspiracy to bring immigrantsillegally into the U.S., transporting them in violation of the lawand concealing and harboring them from detection.

Dominguez, Rodrigues and Hernandez are also charged withimmigrant smuggling; Dominguez, Batista and Valdez face a charge oftransporting, concealing and harboring from detection illegalimmigrants; and Rodrigues is accused of assaulting ICE agents whenhis boat was intercepted.