ST. CROIX - A District Court jury returned guilty verdicts Thursday against a man charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States.

Carter Magloire was convicted of one count of bringing in illegal aliens for financial gain and one count of bringing in illegal migrants, acting U.S. Attorney Anthony Jenkins said in prepared statement released Friday afternoon.

The convictions stem from the Aug. 17, 2004, arrest of about 32 illegal aliens aboard the boat Pearl Island by officers from the V.I. Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

Jenkins said that the boat departed Dominica and ran aground in the vicinity of Protestant Cay near the Christiansted wharf about 5 a.m. that day. Several of the immigrants swam to shore in Christiansted Harbor but most of them were captured aboard the vessel. They were from Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Dominica.

Magloire was one of the operators of the vessel, according to testimony at the trial. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.