A man accused of being a “coyote” in Brazil, operator of a scheme to bring irregular migrants to the United States, has been indicted for human trafficking. The Massachusetts State Attorney’s Office, which made the announcement this Tuesday (4), also targets the brother and nephew of Chelbe Moraes.
The Brazilian was arrested in Paraguay last year, suspected of having fled with his three-year-old daughter after losing custody of her to his ex-wife – he is investigated for this case in Brazil. After the arrest, when tapping the phones of people linked to Moraes, the Brazilian Federal Police began to suspect that he was a human trafficker, the so-called “coyote”.
He was accused of charging Brazilians who do not have valid US visas about US$20,000 (R$103,500) per person to enter the US via Mexico, using an international network that includes corrupt police and public officials, as well as family members of your US residents.
In October last year, the Reuters news agency reported on the case, having spoken to more than 20 people with knowledge of the case, including police officers, immigration authorities, Moraes’ partners and three people who claimed to be his clients. The interviews painted a portrait of an experienced coyote whose business was thriving amid Brazilian political and economic turmoil.
At the time, Moraes denied being a human trafficker or “coyote”, claiming to run a legitimate consultancy based in Minas Gerais to advise people on their asylum applications in the US. He stated that in his 20-year career he served around 200 clients, who met the criteria to migrate, charging up to R$100,000.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts federal prosecutors filed a four-count lawsuit against Moraes. They also announced the arrest of his brother, Jesse James Moraes, and his nephew, Hugo Giovanni Moraes, in Woburn. The two have two restaurants in the city of 38 thousand inhabitants, called Taste of Brazil – Tudo na Brasa and The Dog House.
According to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office, the three men “smuggled individuals from Brazil to the US for a fee ranging from US$18,000 to US$22,000. [R$ 93,1 mil e R$ 113,9 mil]”.
According to the prosecution, Jesse and Hugo Moraes “employed [as pessoas] in their Woburn restaurants, withholding their wages to pay off their smuggling debts.” In addition, “they gave or offered false documentation to individuals to support asylum claims or obtain work permits.”
Chelbe Moraes declined to comment on the US allegations. Lawyers for Jesse James Moraes and Hugo Giovanni Moraes did not respond to Reuters.
Sought after last year, Jesse Moraes denied that he worked with his brother to irregularly bring Brazilians to the US. He also denied that he employed his brother’s customers in his restaurants.
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