HOGANSBURG, N.Y. — A New York woman pleaded guilty Thursday for her role in a human smuggling conspiracy that led to the deaths of a Romanian family of four, including two young children, in the St. Lawrence River.
Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, admitted to conspiring with others to smuggle Indian and Romanian nationals across the U.S.-Canada border for financial gain. Her co-conspirators, Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, previously pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors said the smuggling operation, based on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, transported migrants from Cornwall, Ontario, into New York using vehicles and boats. In March 2023, Montour and Terrance helped move a Romanian family—a mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl—to the riverbank, despite dangerous weather conditions. The boat capsized during the crossing, killing all four.
“A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit,” Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon said.
Montour faces a potential life sentence, while Sharrow and Terrance each face up to 15 years in prison.