Thread: I.C.E. and C.B.P. News Releases 8/12/19

I.C.E. News Releases


08/09/2019

ST, THOMAS, VI

HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING

HSI St. Thomas arrests Dominican national for alien smuggling, prostitution scheme
According to court documents unsealed Thursday, between December 2018 and August 2019, Yohanna Gonzalez-McFarlane, 38, of the Dominican Republic, operated the Underground Nightclub in St. Thomas. She recruited young foreign women and arranged to have them smuggled into the U.S. Virgin Islands to engage in prostitution while working at the bar. Gonzalez-McFarlane then housed the women at a residence in St. Thomas and required them to engage in commercial sex at the defendant’s nightclub to repay their smuggling debts.



08/09/2019

TUCSON, AZ



CHILD EXPLOITATION


ICE HSI Tucson participates in child exploitation sting
Twelve agencies participated in the operation, including ICE's HSI, Tucson Police Department, CBP, FBI, USMS, ATF, USSS, Oro Valley Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Safety, Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.



08/07/2019

JACKSON, MS



WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT


ICE executes federal search warrants at multiple Mississippi locations
In addition to executing federal search warrants and seizing business records pertaining to the ongoing federal criminal investigation, deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in partnership with HSI detained approximately 680 removable aliens who were unlawfully working at the plants.



08/07/2019

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK



NARCOTICS


2 Oklahoma prison guards indicted for distributing methamphetamine
Micah Lynne Wascher, 36, and Travis Eugene Wascher, 42, both of Canute, Oklahoma, were correctional officers for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections at the North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, Oklahoma, at the time of the alleged offenses.




08/06/2019

TAMPA, FL



WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT


Master Maintenance Inc. joins the IMAGE program
The DHS E-Verify employment eligibility verification program enables employers to verify that newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States.



08/06/2019

SACRAMENTO, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Tracy California resident convicted on multiple counts of "H-1B" visa fraud, aggravated identity theft
Abhijit Prasad, 52, received multiple convictions Tuesday, including 21 counts of visa fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft from a federal jury. Prasad was previously indicted on related charges during 2016.



08/05/2019

POCATELLO, ID



NARCOTICS


Soda Springs man sentenced to 17 years in prison for running drug trafficking organization in Eastern Idaho
According to court records, Ryan Fitzgerald Dalley, 44, of Soda Springs, admitted that from September 2013 to October 2017, he acted as an organizer, supervisor or manager over at least five other individuals who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Idaho and other states. He further admitted that he received substantial income from the sales of methamphetamine and laundered $100,000 in drug proceeds.



08/02/2019

WASHINGTON, DC



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Wanted murderer removed to El Salvador
On May 10, ERO officers with the Washington field office arrested Alvaro Johel Angel Angel in Alexandria, Virginia and served him a notice to appear in immigration court. An immigration judge ordered Angel removed to El Salvador July 9.




08/01/2019

CHICAGO, IL



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE deportation officers in Chicago remove Salvadoran wanted on terrorism charges in his home country
Pedro Juan Cruz-Cortez, 23, was flown to El Salvador July 31 on a charter flight coordinated by ICE Air Operations (IAO). Upon arrival, ERO officers transferred Cruz-Cortez to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police.



08/01/2019

DETROIT, MI



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Nearly 3-year manhunt ends in arrest of HSI most wanted fugitive
Darrick Bell, 50, aka Tone or Ghost, a U.S. citizen, was the subject of a nearly three-year manhunt, following the takedown of a large-scale human trafficking operation at the now-demolished Victory Inn Motel in Detroit.



07/31/2019

TAMPA, FL



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ERO, OPLA leadership meet with Florida Sheriff's Association to strengthen partnerships
“Our partnerships with jurisdictions across Florida allow us to better meet our public safety enforcement mission,” said ERO Miami Acting Field Office Director Mike Meade, for the Miami Field Office of ERO. “This is an example of law enforcement working together to make communities safer by keeping criminal aliens off our streets.”



07/31/2019

HONOLULU, HI



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Maui man surrenders on charges of traveling to Thailand to have sex with teen he claimed was his daughter
George Alexis Theros, 76, was arrested yesterday by special agents with ICE's HSI Honolulu and officers with the Maui Police Department. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by HSI in Honolulu and Panama, U.S. Dept. of State’s DSS Overseas Criminal Investigations and local law enforcement in Panama and Thailand.




07/31/2019

WASHINGTON, DC



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COMMERCIAL FRAUD


ICE HSI Global Trade Investigations Division partners with Liberty Shared to combat forced labor
HSI’s forced labor programs coordinate and initiate criminal investigations into U.S.-bound supply chains whose goods are made wholly or in part by means of forced labor.



07/31/2019

LOS ANGELES, CA



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COMMERCIAL FRAUD


ICE HSI investigation leads to federal indictment alleging scheme to avoid payment of $1.8 billion in anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminum imported as 'pallets'
The 53-page indictment alleges that China Zhongwang Holdings Limited, Asia’s largest aluminum extrusion company; Zhongtian Liu, the company’s former president and chairman; and several individual and corporate co-defendants lied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to avoid paying the United States $1.8 billion in anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) that were imposed in 2011 on certain types of extruded aluminum imported into the United States from China.



07/29/2019

SAN SALVADOR,EL SALVADOR



CHILD EXPLOITATION


ICE HSI special agents and victim assistance specialists lead human trafficking and child exploitation trainings for Latin American and Caribbean law enforcement authorities
The trainings, which took place between June 17-21 and June 24-28, 2019, were designed to help participating law enforcement officers, agents, prosecutors, and judges understand the crimes of sex trafficking/forced labor and child exploitation/sexual child abuse and how to work these types of cases. The ICE HSI delegations not only provided insight into each crime, but also discussed the challenges they face when investigating and prosecuting human trafficking and child exploitation cases in the United States.



07/26/2019

CHICAGO, IL



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Chinese businesswoman indicted on student-visa, work-visa fraud charges
Weiyun Huang, also known as “Kelly Huang,” 30, of Beijing, China, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and five counts of visa fraud, according to an indictment returned July 25 in U.S. District Court in Chicago.




07/26/2019

SAN FRANCISCO, CA



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COMMERCIAL FRAUD


ICE HSI San Francisco intercepted counterfeit products attempting to penetrate the Bay Area consumer market
This surge initiative in the Bay Area is in furtherance of an HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) strategy for targeting the importation, smuggling, and trafficking of counterfeit goods. The goal of this operation is to identify and interdict counterfeit products entering the US at International Mail Facilities and Express Consignment Hubs, and then for HSI field offices to initiate investigations to disrupt and dismantle those organizations involved in these criminal acts.



07/26/2019

SACRAMENTO, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


2 California DMV employees convicted of bribery, identity fraud, unauthorized computer usage
Kari Scattaglia, 40, of Sylmar, and another former DMV employee co-defendant Lisa Terraciano, 52, of North Hollywood, pleaded guilty, Nov. 3, 2017, to a conspiracy to commit bribery, to commit identity fraud, and to commit unauthorized access of a computer.



07/25/2019

WASHINGTON, DC



STATEMENT


Acting ICE director testifies on Hill about agency budget needs
The acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director testified Thursday afternoon before the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, at a hearing titled, “ICE Oversight Hearing.” In his testimony, Acting ICE Director Matthew T. Albence highlighted the humanitarian crisis at the southwest border and the necessary resources and funding needed for the agency fulfill its mission.



07/25/2019

SAN FRANCISCO, CA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Salvadoran gangster removed to his home county to face charges for gang violence, murder
Cortez-Moreno, 30, is wanted by the Salvadoran government for multiple egregious crimes, including charges of manslaughter, murder and other crimes with ties to 18th Street Gang activity.




07/25/2019

BOSTON, MA



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE HSI Boston case brings conviction, possible 15 years-to-life sentence, for Massachusetts sex trafficker
Reginald Abraham, 51, was convicted in Boston of four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Abraham, who was arrested, charged and has been held in federal custody since September 2017, will remain in custody until his sentencing in November.


07/25/2019

CHICAGO, IL



NARCOTICS


Former Chicago resident sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for laundering drug cartel money
Mario Herrera, 55, from Michoacán, Mexico, and formerly of Chicago, was a member of a Mexico-based conspiracy that laundered more than $100 million in narcotics proceeds on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa drug cartels.



07/25/2019

CHICAGO, IL



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Chicago 'con man' sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for defrauding more than 200 aliens
James Keegan, 57, of Cicero, Illinois, fraudulently offered immigration advocacy services, including guaranteed U.S. permanent resident status, in exchange for a fluctuating fee that averaged $3,000 per applicant.

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News from CBP

August 9, 2019 | Local Media Release
Border Patrol Marine Unit Under Fire in the Rio Grande Valley

August 9, 2019 | Local Media Release
Border Patrol Continues to Deal with Large Groups in the RIo Grande Valley

August 9, 2019 | Local Media Release
Lukeville CBP Officers Intercept Vehicle Loaded with Drugs


More News


C.B.P. Media Releases

Media Releases from the previous administrations are available in the Archive section of our website.


Illegal immigrants Found Locked in Semi-Trailer
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseTUCSON, Ariz. – In three separate incidents, U.S. Border Patrol agents near Ajo and Nogales arrested five U.S. citizens for smuggling 11 illegal aliens Wednesday night, including seven who were locked in a semi-trailer. The first incident occurred...
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Baton Rouge Border Patrol Arrests Accused Illegal Alien Pedophile
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseBATON ROUGE, LA — U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents assigned to the Baton Rouge Station arrested an illegal alien Wednesday afternoon who is wanted in East Baton Rouge Parish for Felony Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile and Forcible Rape and being...
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CBP NOLA Ag Specialists Intercept Asian Gypsy Moth Mass
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseNEW ORLEANS, LA —U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agriculture specialists assigned to New Orleans recently intercepted 17 separate Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) masses on the same vessel. This is a closeup of an Asian GypsyMoth mass. Each mass can...
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Lukeville CBP Officers Intercept Vehicle Loaded with Drugs
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseTUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, officers at Arizona’s Port of Lukeville arrested an Arizona pair after seizing more than 1,600 pounds of marijuana on Wednesday. Officers seized $484K worth ofmarijuana...
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Border Patrol Continues to Deal with Large Groups in the RIo Grande Valley
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseEDINBURG, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector encountered two large groups of illegal aliens who turned themselves over to agents. On Sunday, McAllen agents observed a large group of suspected illegal...
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Border Patrol Marine Unit Under Fire in the Rio Grande Valley
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseFRONTON, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol Agents patrolling the Rio Grande were shot at from the Mexican riverbank. Early this morning, agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Station Marine Unit patrolling near Fronton, Texas, reported they were fired...
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CBP Officers in Buffalo Seize another Load of Marijuana
Friday, August 9, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseBUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Peace Bridge seized over 257 lbs. of marijuana contained within a pallet of boxes. CBP officers at the Peace Bridge selected a commercial shipment for inspection after...
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CBP Announces July 2019 Migration Statistics
Friday, August 9, 2019 | National Media ReleaseWASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the agency’s July 2019 migration statistics today. In July, CBP apprehended or encountered 82,049 individuals who crossed the border illegally or were deemed inadmissible at Southwest border...
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Border Patrol Sniffs Out Heroin & Fentanyl Inside False Car Battery
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseCAMPO, Calif.—U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two people last night who had heroin and fentanyl hidden inside a false car battery on Wednesday. On Aug, 7th, at approximately 7:45 p.m., Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 8 checkpoint...
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CBP Air and Marine Operations Rescues Stranded Kayaker
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseDEL RIO, Texas – Agents from, CBP’s Air and Marine Operations rescued a woman who became severely ill while kayaking on the Pecos River, Aug. 3. A crew member aboard this CBP Air andMarine helicopter disembarked to checkon a group of people spotted...
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Philadelphia CBP Intercepts 40 Unpermitted Incubated Chick-Hatching Eggs
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleasePHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now knows the answer to the long-asked question about whether the chicken or the egg came first. Hint: it’s not the unpermitted foreign egg. Not after CBP agriculture specialists intercepted 40...
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Dulles CBP Seize Ecstasy Shipments Destined for New York and Florida
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseSTERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport seized nearly 200 grams of MDMA July 27 in parcels that were destined to Florida and New York. Some of the 325 Ecstasy tablets.Officers inspected...
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Baltimore CBP Hits Agriculture Threat Trifecta: Intercepts Five Destructive Asian Gypsy Moth Egg Masses on Three Vessels
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseBALTIMORE – According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Asian Gypsy Moths are one of the most destructive insect pests in the world. They are not known to occur in the United States, yet they are knocking on our doorsteps. Three recent U...
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Cocaine Worth over $114 Million Seized from Vessel Located by CBP Air and Marine Operations
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseJACKSONVILLE, Fla.— A CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) P-3 Orion Long Range Tracker crew assigned to the National Air Security Operations Center-Jacksonville, was conducting maritime patrols when they located and tracked a cocaine-filled go-fast...
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Contract Awards for New Levee Wall and Border Wall Gates in the Rio Grande Valley
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | National Media ReleaseWASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has awarded a contract to construct approximately 11 miles of new levee wall system in three non-contiguous segments located within...
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AMO Assists US Marshals to Extradite Alien among Puerto Rico’s 10 Most Wanted
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseAGUADILLA, Puerto Rico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO), assisted the U.S. Marshal Service Tuesday in the extradition from the Dominican Republic of Wilson M. Vasquez-Rodriguez, one of the 10 most wanted criminals...
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Border Patrol Recovers Stolen Vehicle, Arrests Illegal Aliens
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseLAREDO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Freer Border Patrol Station arrested four illegal aliens and recovered a stolen vehicle near Freer, Texas. On the evening of Aug. 6, agents responded to a report of a suspicious black pickup...
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CBP Stops Human Smuggling Attempt
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseLEWISTON, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the Lewiston Port of Entry intercepted a human smuggling attempt that resulted in the arrest of one male subject for criminal alien smuggling and an additional male subject for...
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CBP Now Hiring New Officers for Buffalo Port of Entry
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseBUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency responsible for securing United States borders from all threats, is now accepting applications to fill officer positions at the Buffalo Port of Entry. CBP officers detect and...
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K9 Discovers 207 Packages of Meth at Immigration Checkpoint
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseTUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered 227 pounds of meth hidden in a vehicle early Saturday morning at the I-19 immigration checkpoint north of Nogales. Officers removed more than 200packages of meth from a smugglingvehicleTucson...
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CBP en el Puente Internacional de Hidalgo Advierte a Viajeros Sobre la Importación de Productos Prohibidos
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseHIDALGO, Texas- EE.UU. Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza, Operaciones Aduaneras (OFO por sus siglas en inglés) en el Puente Internacional de Hidalgo quiere advertir a los viajeros que traer productos agrícolas prohibidos resultará en multas que serán...
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CBP Field Operations at Hidalgo International Bridge Warns Travelers on Importing Prohibited Products
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseHIDALGO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge wants to warn travelers that bringing prohibited agriculture products will result in fines being assessed, jeopardize SENTRI...
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Calexico CBP Officers Seize $335,000 of Hard Narcotics
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseCALEXICO, Calif. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Calexico ports of entry over the weekend intercepted $335,000 worth of methamphetamine and heroin hidden in two vehicles. The first incident occurred on Sunday, Aug. 4,...
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U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations Disrupt Stash House Operation
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseLAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a joint enforcement action that disrupted a stash house operation resulting in the apprehension of several individuals in Laredo, Texas. The incident...
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Border Patrol Agents Stop $240K Narcotics Smuggling Attempt
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Local Media ReleaseLAREDO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo North Station prevented several bundles of narcotics from being smuggled into the country northwest of Laredo, Texas. The incident occurred early on August 6, when agents working...
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