MIAMI – Two men are charged with smuggling resulting in death after a boat capsized off South Florida, killing four women and leaving survivors clinging to its hull.
The 24-count indictment returned Friday charged Naaman Davis, 53, and George Lewis, 38, both of the Bahamas, with conspiracy to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States resulting in death. Davis was also charged with involuntary manslaughter.
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If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.
Three Jamaican nationals -- Matthews Williams, 30; Everton Jones, 40; and, Kenard Hagigal, 35 -- were charged with illegal reentry into the U.S. by an aggravated felon. A fourth passenger, Sean Gaynor, 37, of Jamaica, was charged with illegal reentry into the United States.
Williams, Jones, Bryce, and Hagigal face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Gaynor faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.
Early this week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released four Haitians who survived the capsizing.
Two of the victims have been identified as Carmen Valeris and Woodline Alexis.
Thousands of migrants from Haiti, Cuba and other Caribbean countries attempt to illegally enter the U.S. each year by attempting risky sea voyages in overloaded or unseaworthy vessels, often through established smuggling networks that include islands in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.