I.C.E. News Releases

06/07/2019

SCRANTON, PA

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Ghanaian man sentenced for hindering his removal
Patrick Owusu, 42, a citizen of Ghana, will be removed once he has completed his sentence.



06/07/2019

LOS ANGELES, CA



PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY


Former California lawyer pleads guilty to $4 million wire fraud where clients were conned via forged judges' signatures and fake phone calls
Shant Ohanian, 36, of Pasadena, entered his plea on Thursday before U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who scheduled a September 12 sentencing hearing. Ohanian faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.



06/06/2019

WASHINGTON, DC



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COMMERCIAL FRAUD


ICE names new leader to head HSI Global Trade Investigations Division, IPR Center
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) recently named Steve Francis as the new assistant director of the HSI-led Global Trade Investigations Division (GTID) and director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center).



06/06/2019

EL PASO, TX



WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT


El Paso eateries join 'IMAGE' program to strengthen their hiring practices
Carnitas Queretaro was certified as an IMAGE member and becomes the eighth El Paso business to join IMAGE; Garufa Argentinian Restaurant is on its way to complete the process to become a full member.




06/06/2019

YUMA, AZ



NARCOTICS


ICE HSI Yuma seizes cache of illicit goods
Over the weekend, HSI Yuma special agents arrested Angel Leon-Camberos, 26, and seized 527.3 lbs. of methamphetamine (approximate street value of nearly $7.2 million), 14.88 lbs. of high grade marijuana and numerous wax (marijuana extract) products with an approximate street value of $103,930, one AR-15 style rifle, one magazine, packaging materials, multiple cell phones and $15,295 in cash in a targeted enforcement action lead by HSI.



06/06/2019

TUCSON, AZ



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Tucson man sentenced to 70 months in prison for downloading child pornography
Daniel Courville, 43, of Tucson, was indicted by a federal grand jury March 23, 2017, for one count of knowingly accessing child pornography depicting sexual abuse of pre-pubescent minors paving the way for his arrest March 28, 2017.



06/06/2019

SAN FRANCISCO, CA



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE HSI agents facilitated a training on human trafficking for Fresno law enforcement
Fresno HSI agents completed a two-day training for local law enforcement officers, analysts, and prosecutors, Wednesday, June 6. During this event, participants received the latest information about federal human trafficking investigations and about proven law enforcement best practices to implement.



06/06/2019

BOSTON, MA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE arrests 32 during 5-day enforcement action in New England
Arrests occurred in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Of those arrested, 22 were convicted criminals, 10 had criminal charges pending, 27 had been issued a final order of removal and failed to depart the United States, and 2 had been previously removed from the United States.




06/05/2019

SEATTLE, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Repeat sex offender sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of images of child rape and molestation
Jeremy James Cherry, has a 2001 King County Superior Court conviction for rape of a child and attempted possession of child pornography.



06/05/2019

MCALLEN, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Honduran man charged in South Texas with smuggling an unrelated 3-year-old boy into the US to avoid detention and deportation
Starlin Alfredo Martinez-Morales, 24, from Honduras was originally charged by criminal complaint May 10, 2019. On June 5, a federal grand jury returned the two-count indictment. He will soon appear for his arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge.



06/05/2019

OMAHA, NE



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Nebraska illegal alien from Guatemala sentenced to more than 2 years in federal prison for identity theft, false claim to US citizenship
U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Sebastian Velasquez-Ramos, 47, to 28 months in federal prison following his criminal convictions for fraudulently using a Social Security card, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, and aggravated identity theft. Velasquez-Ramos previously pleaded guilty to the charges.



06/05/2019

SEATTLE, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former cheerleading coach, registered sex offender sentenced to 9 years in prison for sexually exploiting children
Leonard Bernard Lewis, 33, of Seattle, pleaded guilty in February 2019, admitting that he transported images of child rape and abuse on his personal electronic devices when he traveled from Seattle to London on March 1, 2018.




06/04/2019

ALEXANDRIA, VA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


South Carolina teacher pleads guilty to distributing child pornography
According to court documents, Eric Hartley, 37, of Fort Hill, used various internet applications, including Kik and Dropbox, to send and receive child pornography. One of the individuals with whom Hartley traded child pornography was Jeramy Routh, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute child pornography in May.



06/04/2019

SACRAMENTO, CA



NARCOTICS


Nicaraguan national pleads guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine, marijuana on the darknet
Eddy Steven Sandoval Lopez, 23, a Nicaraguan national residing in Sacramento, pleaded guilty, Monday, June 3, to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.



06/04/2019

HOUSTON, TX



TRANSNATIONAL GANGS


ICE Houston arrests 23 gang members, associates during operation targeting MS-13
Three of the MS-13 gang members, all Salvadoran nationals, were arrested on murder charges: Francisco Flores-Salazar, 19, Mario Guevara-Flores, 26, and Francisco Alberto Ancheta-Aquino, 21.



06/04/2019

LOS ANGELES, CA



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Leader of religious organization La Luz Del Mundo, arrested at LAX on multiple human trafficking and child pornography charges
Naasón Joaquín García (Joaquín García) and his co-defendants allegedly committed these crimes between 2015 and 2018 while leading La Luz Del Mundo, an international religious organization headquartered in Mexico with reportedly more than one million followers worldwide.




06/04/2019

BEAUMONT, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


2 illegal aliens plead guilty in separate East Texas trials to transporting illegal aliens, illegal re-entry
Jorge Gonzalez-Ramirez, 27, Guatemala, and Joel Sanchez-Guzman, 25, Mexico, both pleaded guilty to their criminal charges June 4.



06/03/2019

NOGALES, AZ



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes Mexican national wanted for sexually abusing a minor
On Jan. 2, the Attorney General’s Office in Sonora, Mexico, issued a warrant against Rodrigo Castillo Alvarez (a.k.a. Oscar Castillo or Alfonso Castillo Delgado) for the offenses of sexual abuse or rape of a child and child molestation. According to Mexican police records, Alvarez was alleged to be one of two predators who violated a female under the age of 12.



05/31/2019

PHILADELPHIA, PA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Pennsylvania pastor charged with multiple child exploitation offenses
Jerry Zweitzig, 71, the former pastor of Horsham Bible Church on Upland Avenue in Horsham, faces a maximum possible sentence of 170 years imprisonment, a minimum mandatory term of 15 years, 5 years of supervised release, and a $1,500,000 fine.



05/31/2019

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Guatemalan illegal alien residing in Iowa sentenced for benefit fraud
Cleotilde Puac-Gomez, 46, a citizen of Guatemala who is illegally residing in the U.S. in Clarion, Iowa, was sentenced to two months in federal prison after pleading guilty Feb. 6, 2019, to one count of theft of U.S. government funds.




05/31/2019

WASHINGTON, DC



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COMMERCIAL FRAUD


ICE Homeland Security Investigations warns consumers about counterfeit sports merchandise, tickets during NBA finals
Fake jerseys, ball caps, t-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs are among the counterfeit merchandise and clothing typically sold during these events. Additionally, authorities have seen an increase in the sale of counterfeit tickets being sold to these events.



05/31/2019

TACOMA, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Registered sex offender sentenced to 14 years in prison for enticing minors via social media
Peter James Hufferd, 47, was on federal supervision living in sex offender housing in Seattle when law enforcement discovered he was secretly using a cell phone to communicate with minor females via social media.



05/30/2019

LOS ANGELES, CA



FINANCIAL CRIMES


8 residents of Los Angeles' San Fernando valley arrested in check-kiting scheme that allegedly defrauded banks out of nearly $1.5 million
The 36-count indictment unsealed today alleges that the defendants used the bank accounts, which were opened in the names that appeared on the altered passports, to write bad checks to other fraudulently obtained bank accounts. The defendants allegedly exploited bank rules that allowed them to transfer money from one account to another, and then to immediately withdraw funds at ATMs in Las Vegas casinos and other locations before the checks bounced.



05/30/2019

LOS ANGELES, CA



NATIONAL SECURITY


Los Angeles-area businessman sentenced to 46 months in prison for selling counterfeit integrated circuits with military and commercial uses
Rogelio Vasquez, 44, a.k.a. “James Harrison,” of Orange, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who said, “Simply put, the scheme was endangering lives for the sake of illicit profit.” Judge Staton also ordered Vasquez to pay $144,000 in restitution.

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