Drove SUV on railroad into Vermont, police say

By Mike Donoghue
Vermont News First

A version of this news story appeared in The Islander newspaper.

Two illegal immigrants from the United Kingdom were arrested this month in Grand Isle County for unlawfully entering the United States after having been linked to a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), federal court records show.

The U.S. Border Patrol said they captured Martin Joseph McDonagh, 20, and Olivia Fowler, 19, in Alburgh on Monday afternoon Aug. 11.

The arrests came after the couple drove their SUV south on the Canadian National Railway tracks from Canada into Vermont, but they had some problems when security spikes used by authorities in the rail bed flattened at least one tire.

The couple was stopped after reaching Alburgh and they were headed on Vermont 78 toward Swanton about 3 p.m., the Border Patrol said.

The Illegal Immigrants had four spare tires in their SUV in an effort to thwart the spikes aimed to discourage illegal entries by driving on railroad beds, records show.

At least one spare tire had been put on their black Jeep Patriot during the trip, the Border Patrol said.  The extra spare tires made it clear that the defendants were aware of the high risk of driving on the railroad tracks near the international boundary, the Border Patrol said.

Both defendants declined to speak to investigators and were jailed overnight.  They  appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle in Burlington the following afternoon.

McDonagh and Fowler both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to criminal complaints filed by the Border Patrol that as illegal aliens they unlawfully entered the U.S. by not stopping at a port of entry.  They had separate court hearings about a half hour apart.

Doyle agreed to impose a “time served” sentence, which equated to one day for both of them.  They will now face deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

McDonagh has an immigration record in the United States that includes a prior overstay and has been denied entry through March 12, 2027, court documents show.

Record checks also indicated Fowler has used several aliases, including  Indianna Margaret McDonagh, Indianna Cawley, and Indianna Mongan, the Border Patrol said.

Law enforcement databases showed both McDonagh and Fowler were listed by the National Targeting Center (NTC) as Suspect Aliens, court records show.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has worked with Australian authorities and others to “identify members and associates of the Transnational Criminal Organization (TOC) known as the Traveling Conmen Fraud Group (TTCFG),” court records show.

The Conmen, with ties to the United Kingdom and Ireland, is a multi-million dollar fraud group operating in several nations, authorities have said.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City arrested an Irish couple with possible links to the Traveling Conmen Fraud Group on July 18. The Irish couple was wanted for 19 counts of money laundering in the United Kingdom, where they are charged with defrauding a string of victims of more than $4 million.

The ERO officers “worked rapidly and cooperatively with local and federal law enforcement partners to catch the international felons,” ICE said.  The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office in Kingston, New York played a key role they said.

Aliens are deemed high risk by NTC due to derogatory association to known members based on link analysis and trend conditions, court records show. 

The aliens will require a visa for future travel with criminal history checks and proof of ties and employment to their home country, the U.S. Border Patrol said in court papers.