BOSTON — A Brazilian national living in Worcester was arrested Wednesday for his alleged role in a “large-scale” human smuggling ring to illegally move migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border and into several U.S. cities including Boston, the U.S. Attorney said.
Flavio Alexandra Alves, a/k/a “Ronaldo,” 41, of Brazil, who is in the U.S. illegally and was previously convicted of human smuggling in California, is charged with conspiracy to bring aliens to and transport aliens within the United States in violation of law, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Alves, who appeared in federal court in Worcester, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 28.
Federal authorities on Wednesday also detained four people in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia associated with the human smuggling ring on administrative immigration violations, Foley said.
Alves’ arrest was made during an international law enforcement operation targeting a transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for the illicit smuggling of hundreds of people from Brazil to the United States, Foley said.
As part of the ring, Alves was allegedly responsible for buying airline tickets for foreign nationals – including families and groups – to fly them to various places within the United States, prosecutors allege.
Foley on Wednesday released a photograph showing Alves with another person on a Walmart surveillance video executing a money transfer to a Brazilian national who was later found illegally entering the United States.
According to the charging documents, Alves was previously convicted of human smuggling offenses in the Central District of California in 2004 and subsequently deported to Brazil in February 2005.
Prosecutors allege that sometime after his removal, Alves illegally re-entered the U.S. and has been residing in this country without immigration status.
In April 2022, an investigation began into a human smuggling organization operating in the United States, Brazil and Mexico, that smuggles Brazilian nationals through Mexico, across the U.S.-Mexico border and into the U.S. for financial gain and laundering the proceeds.
Investigators identified Alves as an alleged domestic-based smuggler for the organization. He joined the organization in mid-2021.
Prosecutors allege that Alves coordinated with co-conspirators in Brazil and Mexico to facilitate the transportation of Brazilian nationals into the United States; to launder funds to Mexico to support the organization; and to collect smuggling fees paid by or on behalf of the Brazilian nationals being smuggled.
In his alleged role in the human smuggling ring, Alves allegedly purchased airline tickets for Brazilian nationals to travel from border cities to other locations across the United States shortly after they were encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and released from detention, prosecutors said.
Between May 2021 and August 2022, Alves purchased more than 100 individual airline tickets from Tucson or Phoenix shortly after U.S. Customs and Border Protection encounters, to destination cities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, including Boston, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, prosecutors allege.
Prosecutors allege that Alves sent money to aliens and smugglers located in Mexico to pay for expenses associated with transit into the United States.
Bank and financial records obtained during the investigation revealed that Alves allegedly sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in money transfers to facilitate the travel of aliens who were later encountered by immigration authorities illegally crossing into the United States, prosecutors said. He then paid smugglers in Mexico for their role in the organization.
Alves allegedly used different methods to conceal the nature and frequency of the transfers, including using in-person money transfer services at various locations throughout Massachusetts, providing different variations of his name and home address, and having other close associates conduct the transactions for him, prosecutors said.
Alves also allegedly collected payments from the Brazilian nationals as the fee for being smuggled into the U.S. – taking a percentage of the fee as his “cut” before transferring the remainder of the money to other members of the human smuggling organization based in Mexico.
If convicted on the charge of conspiracy to bring aliens to, or transport an alien within, the United States in violation of law, Alves faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Alves is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed, authorities said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
