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Michigan man arrested, charged with transporting from Akwesasne an illegal entrant from Romania

Posted 10/9/18

A Michigan man was arrested and charged with transporting an illegal alien from Romania out of Akwesasne on Oct. 6. Narcis Gabriel Burcea, 26, of Sterling Heights, Mich., was arrested for …

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Michigan man arrested, charged with transporting from Akwesasne an illegal entrant from Romania

Posted

A Michigan man was arrested and charged with transporting an illegal alien from Romania out of Akwesasne on Oct. 6.

Narcis Gabriel Burcea, 26, of Sterling Heights, Mich., was arrested for transporting Andreea Tita Pirlica, an alien and citizen of Romania, following Pirlica’s illegal entry into the United States, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

According to the DOJ, Burcea entered the United States from Canada at the Massena Port of Entry on Oct. 5 and spent the night at a local hotel. The next day, he traveled to the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation. Border Patrol agents saw Burcea enter a parking lot alone, and a few minutes later saw him leave the parking lot with Pirlica. Authorities said the investigation revealed that Pirlica traveled from Canada to the United States via boat and was driven to the area of the parking lot where she met Burcea. Agents stopped Burcea as he and Pirlica traveled toward Massena.

The charges filed against Burcea carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to three years.

Pirlica is charged with the misdemeanor crime of illegal entry.

This case is being investigated by Border Patrol including its Massena Office of Field Operations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Kopita.

The charges in the complaints are “merely accusations,” authorities said, and emphasized that “defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”