Businessman accused of human smuggling

Documents: A dozen Chinese nationals on board yacht returning from Bahamas to US

An Atlanta businessman and a local charter captain stand accused of smuggling 12 Chinese nationals into the United States, according to federal court documents.

As detailed in a criminal complaint, Atlanta businessman Robert McNeil Jr. and boat Capt. James Bradford were returning from the Bahamas on the 70-foot Hatteras motor yacht Carefree on July 23 when it was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark.

The Coast Guard asked the Carefree to identify the number and nationality of those on board.

The criminal complaint claims that McNeil radioed back to the Coast Guard that there were 10 people on board: himself, Bradford and eight Japanese nationals.

Japanese nationals do not require a visa to enter the United States.

But when the Coast Guard boarded the vessel approximately 10 nautical miles from Port Everglades, officers found 14 passengers on board: Bradford, McNeil, and 12 citizens of the People’s Republic of China, the complaint said.

Chinese citizens require visas to enter the United States.

Court documents state that the Chinese on board had no visas, and that 10 cellphones, possibly belonging to them, were held in a plastic bag on the boat.

“Smugglers often collect cellphones from migrants until they are paid,” the document explains.

Before being taken into custody, McNeil said he “worked with the underground railroad and would never do anything wrong,” the criminal complaint said.

Court documents list McNeil as the CEO of Grow Now LLC, an Atlanta-based marketing company.

Its website lists offices in Beijing, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.

McNeil couldn’t be reached for comment Friday, and his attorney declined to comment.

“In terms of human smuggling, the Bahamas is basically a staging point,” explains Derek Gordon, the assistant special agent in charge of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Lauderdale.

The smugglers, he notes, are often a diverse lot. “We encounter everything from small little rickety boats to very expensive sport yachts worth significant amounts of money.”

Court documents don’t reveal much more about the specifics of this particular alleged operation.

Bradford, who is profiled as a “freelance captain” in a 2017 in article in the Mainsheet, the newsletter of Sailing Singles of South Florida, appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Friday for arraignment.

His attorney and the court agreed to a 45-day delay in the proceeding while Bradford’s fitness to stand trial is evaluated by medical professionals.

His attorney could not be reached for comment after the hearing.

Bradford and McNeil have been indicted on one count of conspiracy, 12 counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the United States, and 12 counts of bringing aliens into the country for commercial or personal gains.

The counts carry penalties of 15, five, and 10 years in prison, respectively.