A dual Canadian-American citizen accused of participating in a human smuggling conspiracy that ended in the deaths of eight migrants, including two young children, made his first appearance in federal court in northern New York on Thursday after being extradited from Canada.
Rahsontanohstha Delormier, also known as Storm, 31, was arraigned in Plattsburgh on charges stemming from an alleged alien smuggling operation that authorities say led to one of the deadliest migrant crossings along the U.S.-Canada border in recent years.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of New York indicted Delormier in June 2024 on one count of conspiracy to engage in alien smuggling and four counts of alien smuggling for profit. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy culminated in a March 2023 crossing of the St. Lawrence River that ended with eight people drowning amid severe weather conditions.
According to court records, Delormier lived on the Canadian side of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, a territory that spans the U.S.-Canada border and has long been exploited by smugglers. Authorities allege he was a known smuggler who transported migrants by boat across the St. Lawrence River and agreed to assist in the ill-fated crossing despite hazardous conditions.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy involved multiple co-defendants operating on both sides of the border. Delormier was arrested in Canada in August 2024 along with co-conspirator Stephanie Square, 52, who was extradited to the United States in October 2025. Another alleged co-conspirator, Timothy Oakes, 34, was arrested in June and remains in custody awaiting trial.
Three U.S.-based defendants — Dakota Montour, 31, Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, and Janet Terrance, 45 — have pleaded guilty to their roles in the smuggling organization, according to prosecutors.
Court documents describe how a family of four, including two small children, was picked up from a hotel in Cornwall, Ontario, during the early morning hours of March 29, 2023, and transported to Cornwall Island, a known staging area for river crossings into the United States. Delormier allegedly provided a pickup truck used to move the family and separately attempted to stage a small boat for the river crossing.
Authorities say Delormier lost control of the boat and became stranded in the frigid river, later being rescued by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service while suffering from hypothermia. Despite the setback, prosecutors allege the group pressed ahead with the smuggling attempt using a different boat operated by Oakes.
Later that night, residents reported hearing cries for help from the river as severe weather battered the area. Over the next two days, search teams recovered the bodies of eight migrants from the St. Lawrence River near Cattle Island and Chatelain Island. The body of Casey Oakes, Timothy Oakes’ brother, was recovered months later several miles downstream.
Delormier’s extradition followed months of coordination between U.S. and Canadian authorities, including immigration, border enforcement and tribal police agencies on both sides of the border.
Delormier remains in federal custody as proceedings continue.
