Hogansburg man going to prison for smuggling people across border

SYRACUSE, New York (WWNY) - A Hogansburg man whose boat sank while crossing the St. Regis River in Akwesasne is going to prison for smuggling people across the border.

Brian Lazore was sentenced in federal court in Syracuse on Wednesday to 5 years behind bars for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and three counts of alien smuggling.

As part of his September 2022 guilty plea, the 45-year-old Lazore admitted to smuggling six Indian citizens from Cornwall, Ontario, into the United States using the St. Lawrence and St. Regis rivers.

On April 28, 2022, Lazore’s boat sank in the St. Regis River.

One person made his way to the shoreline. The Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department deployed a boat to rescue the other six people in the water.

As part of his plea, Lazore admitted to smuggling the aliens for his own financial gain.

The judge also imposed a 2-year term of supervised release to follow Lazore’s term of incarceration.