NEWARK, N.J. — A Guatemalan national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2016 has been charged in New Jersey federal court for allegedly submitting false applications to gain custody of unaccompanied migrant children, U.S. officials announced.
Luciano Tinuar Quino, also known as Luciano Tinuar Guino, 57, is accused of falsely claiming to be the father of two unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who illegally entered the United States in 2022. According to the criminal complaint, he submitted fraudulent sponsorship documents under penalty of perjury to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
One of the applications allegedly included a photoshopped image that Quino claimed depicted him with the mother of a 15-year-old Guatemalan boy who crossed the southern border in April 2022. Based on the false information, the minor was transported from Texas to New Jersey and placed in Quino’s custody.
“Attempting to exploit the sponsorship system to gain custody of unaccompanied alien children puts those minors at serious risk,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons.
Federal authorities say Quino made similar false statements in a separate June 2022 application to gain custody of another Guatemalan male, age 17. That application was denied by ORR.
Federal agencies cite risk to minors
Quino is charged with two counts of making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on each count. A sentencing decision will be made by a federal district judge in accordance with U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
“Protecting children means holding individuals accountable when they use deception to exploit our systems,” said ORR Acting Director Angie M. Salazar. “ORR acted swiftly to identify the fraud and share with our law enforcement counterparts.”
The criminal complaint was filed following a joint investigation by the FBI’s Newark field office and ICE Homeland Security Investigations. Authorities say the probe also received support from the FBI’s Legal Attaché team in Guatemala, the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking, and ORR.
According to the Justice Department, the case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative launched to combat illegal immigration and dismantle transnational criminal organizations involved in human trafficking and smuggling.
“This was a clear attempt from an individual unlawfully in the United States seeking to undermine our laws and target children,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
Nationwide initiative targets human smuggling
The prosecution falls under the efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), a collaborative initiative between DOJ and DHS to combat human trafficking across Central America and the U.S. JTFA has led to over 365 arrests and more than 330 convictions related to human smuggling networks, officials said.
Senior Trial Attorney Christian Levesque, JTFA Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Sussman are prosecuting the case. Additional assistance was provided by HRSP Analyst Joanna Crandall.
Authorities emphasized that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations arm plays a key role in uncovering crimes against unaccompanied children. “This Department of Justice will always seek strong legal penalties to protect children from those who would do them harm,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
The DOJ said individuals worldwide can report suspected criminal activity to the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE.