Akwesasne man extradited to U.S. for migrant drowning case involving two children

Timothy Oakes’ light blue and white boat being recovered from the Saint Lawrence River near the bodies of the eight deceased migrants. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Rahsontanohstha Delormier, 31, appeared in court in Plattsburg, U.S., on Thursday after being extradited from Canada to face charges related to his alleged role in a deadly human smuggling scheme that left a family of four, including two small children, dead in the Saint Lawrence River.

Delormier, also known as Storm of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR), is a dual Canadian-American citizen.

• READ MORE: Akwesasne woman extradited to U.S. to face charges in migrant drowning case

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a federal grand jury in the Northern District of New York returned an indictment against Delormier in June 2024, “for conspiring to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for profit.”

“According to court documents, Delormier was allegedly a member of an alien smuggling conspiracy which resulted in the deaths of eight migrants,” the DOJ states. “As alleged, Delormier, a Native American Indian living on the Canadian portion of the AMIR — which overlaps the United States and Canada — was a known alien smuggler and smuggled aliens by boat utilizing the Saint Lawrence River.”

The 31-year-old was arrested in Canada in August 2024, along with Stephanie Square, at the request of the U.S. government.

Square, 52, was extradited in October 2025.

• READ MORE: Canada-U.S. citizen in custody in deadly human smuggling case

Another alleged co-conspirator, Timothy Oakes, 34, was arrested on June 15 and remains detained pending trial.

Additionally, U.S. citizens Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025 and Oct. 8, 2024.

All of the above are members of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation.

A sixth person, Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, N.Y., pleaded guilty on March 6, 2025.

“The evidence establishes that during the week of March 27, 2023, a prolific Canadian smuggler contacted co-conspirators Sharrow and Square to smuggle a family of four across the Saint Lawrence River into the United States,” the DOJ states. “Delormier [allegedly]...agreed to enter the conspiracy despite the dangerous conditions on the Saint Lawrence River.”

His role, according to the documents, included providing access to a pick-up truck from Cornwall, Ont., to Cornwall Island, “which serves as a notorious staging area for smugglers to cross contraband and people across the river from Canada into the United States.”

• READ MORE: ‘Dismantled’ human smuggling group tied to dead migrants in St. Lawrence River: RCMP

Surveillance footage of the area shows a family of four, including two small children, being picked up from an inn in Cornwall on March 29, 2023, at 3:21 a.m.

The DOJ alleges that around the same time, Delormier delivered a small green boat for transportation.

“However, during Delormier’s attempt to stage the boat, Delormier lost control of the vessel and ended up stranded in the frigid Saint Lawrence River,” the department notes, adding that he was later rescued by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS) and was noted to be suffering from symptoms of hyperthermia.

“As alleged, undeterred by the loss of Delormier and the boat to the Saint Lawrence River, Square recruited and paid Oakes to transport the aliens across the Saint Lawrence River in his small boat,” the DOJ states, pointing to surveillance footage that shows a vehicle pulling a boat matching the description of Oakes’.

The family of four was recorded arriving at the Oakes’s residence on March 29, 2023, at 3:35 a.m.

Court documents show that later that night, AMPS received multiple calls from residents of Cornwall Island, “hearing cries for help on the Saint Lawrence River. The callers also reported the terrible weather conditions.”

• READ MORE: RCMP bust suspected human smuggling ring operating in the Cornwall, Ont. area

During its search, AMPS recovered the bodies of eight people, including two small children, from the frigid Saint Lawrence River near Cattle Island and Chatelain Island.

The body of Casey Oakes, Timothy Oakes’ brother, was also recovered.

• READ MORE: Akwesasne police detain 13 people suspected of trying to cross illegally into U.S.

The investigation is a joint effort between the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo field office, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and numerous police forces, including New York State Police, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and more.