Overview
- Stacey Taylor, 42, was arraigned after an Oct. 2 federal indictment in the Northern District of New York charging conspiracy and four counts of smuggling for profit.
- Border Patrol agents stopped her vehicle near Churubusco, New York, on Jan. 20 and found four foreign nationals who had crossed the border without inspection in freezing conditions.
- Court records state her cellphone contained messages indicating multiple smuggling ventures, with a later stop in August and alleged involvement as recently as September 2025.
- Three of the four smuggling counts are charged as second or subsequent offenses, and each smuggling-for-profit count carries a mandatory minimum of five years if convicted.
- Homeland Security Investigations, CBP and Border Patrol are leading the probe with federal partners under Joint Task Force Alpha, which officials say has produced hundreds of arrests and convictions.