Woburn's father-son duo held for smuggling humans from Brazil to US. This is what happened

A father-son duo has been arrested on Tuesday on the charges of smuggling humans from Brazil. The two men from Woburn used to employ these illegal immigrants in the two restaurants they own.

Media reports suggest the father, Jesse James Moraes, 64, and the son Hugo Giovanni Moraes, 42, were charging thousands of dollars from people in Brazil to smuggle them into the United States. Jesse and Hugo made these illegal immigrants work in their restaurants and held back their wages to clear their dues for smuggling them.





According to a Boston report, Jesse Moraes's brother, Chelbe Willams Moraes, has also been charged by the authorities.

Chelbe Moraes has been accused of charging people $18,000 to $22,000 for getting them smuggled from Brazil to the US. These people were subsequently employed at the Moraes' restaurants in Woburn – Tudo Na Brasa and The Dog House.

Reports indicated that the Moraes men provided forged documents to the illegal immigrants, which helped them seek asylum and authorisation to work in the US.
The forged documents were allegedly provided by the 29-year-old Marcos Chacon of Woburn, who was charged with transferring false identification documents.

Media sources revealed that the smuggled Brazilians confirmed to the authorities that they were asked to pay $32,000 fees, half of which was paid in advance. The remainder amount was organised to be paid in installments of $1,450.

FAQs

Who was arrested for human smuggling?
Jesse Moraes and his son Hugo were arrested on Tuesday. Jesse's brother, Chelbe, was also charged with human smuggling.

How much did the smugglers charge as fees?
The father-son duo charged between $18,000 to $22,000 as fees for transporting them illegally from Brazil. Some reports also suggested the fee was $32,000.