An Akwesasne woman has pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court for her role in a human smuggling operation that ended with the drowning deaths of a Romanian family of four attempting to cross the Canada-U.S. border.

Stephanie Square, 53, pleaded guilty Thursday in New York to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. She now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive a life sentence when she is sentenced on Nov. 25.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Square helped organize the illegal border crossing of Florin Iordache, 28, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, 28, and their two young children, Evelin, 2, and Elyen, 1.

Court documents allege Square insisted the crossing proceed despite high winds, freezing temperatures and poor visibility. Prosecutors say another participant refused to assist because the conditions were too dangerous, but the operation continued anyway.

The family's small boat capsized in the St. Lawrence River near the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory in March 2023. All four family members drowned, along with the boat operator, Casey Oakes.

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"The dangers materialized into a preventable and tragic loss of life," Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said following the guilty plea.

The tragedy was one of two fatal migrant smuggling attempts that occurred in the same area during March 2023. In total, eight people from Romanian and Indian families died after attempting to cross the river into the U.S.

Square is the latest defendant to admit guilt in what U.S. authorities describe as a cross-border human smuggling network operating through Akwesasne. Last month, co-conspirator Rahsontanohstha Delormier also pleaded guilty, while several other members of the organization have previously entered guilty pleas.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Territory spans parts of Ontario, Quebec and New York State and has long been identified by Canadian and American authorities as a major corridor for cross-border human smuggling and contraband trafficking.