February 17, 2017
A suburban Philadelphia man and two foreign associates are accused of illegally sneaking Turkish immigrants into the United States.
The U.S. Attorney's Office's Eastern District of Pennsylvania said Friday that Izzet Kurt, 53, of King of Prussia, has been charged with conspiracy to smuggle and the smuggling of undocumented Turkish immigrants into the country.
Brothers Ozcan Kose, 34, and Oguz Kose, 35, both of Rize, Turkey, were charged as well. The two were captain and chief engineer, respectively, of Turkish commercial cargo vessels that traveled to the United States.
The three are accused of orchestrating the scheme for private financial gain.
If convicted, Kurt faces a maximum potential prison sentence of 15 years. Ozcan Kose faces a maximum potential sentence of 65 years, while Oguz Kose faces a possible maximum of 45 years.
The U.S. Attorney's Office was not immediately available for further comment.
