I.C.E. Top Stories: Last Week


01/20/2017

NEW YORK, NY

NARCOTICS


Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera to appear in Brooklyn federal court on allegations of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, other drug-related charges
Guzman Loera, 59, will be arraigned on a 17-count superseding indictment on Jan. 20, before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in federal court in Brooklyn. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan. Following his extradition to the United States on related charges filed in the Western District of Texas and Southern District of California, the Mexican government approved a request by the United States to proceed with prosecution on the charges filed in the Eastern District of New York on May 11, 2016.


01/18/2017

SAN ANTONIO, TX

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

ICE San Antonio removes Mexican fugitive wanted for 2002 homicide
Roberto Clemente Martinez-Guerrero, 44, is accused of a 2002 homicide that occurred in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Martinez-Guerrero was escorted by ICE officers to the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo, Texas, and transferred to Mexican authorities Jan. 18.


01/18/2017

LOS ANGELES, CA

CHILD EXPLOITATION

U.K. man who came to US to have sex with boys sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography
Paul Charles Wilkins, 70, of Littleport in East Cambridgeshire, England, a dual United States-United Kingdom citizen, was sentenced Wednesday morning by U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee.


01/18/2017

SEATTLE, WA

NARCOTICS


Alleged Seattle black tar heroin distributor arrested on state drug trafficking charges
Chuckie Mitchell, 30, who has an extensive criminal history including prior convictions for assault, domestic violence, felony drug trafficking, armed robbery and drug possession, was taken into custody on a probable cause.


01/17/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA

HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE HSI announces multiagency anti-trafficking task force in Philadelphia
The newly formed HSI-led task force has been awarded a grant by the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to combat both labor and sex trafficking in the region.

https://www.ice.gov/news/top-stories...week&created=1
====================

I.C.E. News Releases


01/23/2017

WASHINGTON, DC

HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE arrests nearly 2,000 human traffickers in 2016, identifies over 400 victims across the US
This year marks the seventh anniversary of January as National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention month. ICE participates in a variety of human trafficking awareness events in January and throughout the year.



01/23/2017

DETROIT, MI

OPERATIONAL

ICE HSI Detroit launches first-ever intel internship with Michigan State University
Gina Kramer, a criminal justice senior, and Madeline MacLean, a junior studying criminal justice and Arabic, will work with special agents, task-force officers and intelligence research specialists with the HSI Detroit Intelligence Group.



01/20/2017

SEATTLE, WA



NARCOTICS


ICE Top 10 most wanted drug smuggler receives 10 years in prison
Prior to his capture in 2015, Martin Briand, 37, spent more than six years on the run from law enforcement. He was originally identified by border agents in the U.S. and Canada in 2009 as a person of interest who was extensively involved in smuggling cocaine into Canada.



01/20/2017

NEW YORK, NY



NARCOTICS


Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera to appear in Brooklyn federal court on allegations of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, other drug-related charges
Guzman Loera, 59, will be arraigned on a 17-count superseding indictment on Jan. 20, before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in federal court in Brooklyn. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan. Following his extradition to the United States on related charges filed in the Western District of Texas and Southern District of California, the Mexican government approved a request by the United States to proceed with prosecution on the charges filed in the Eastern District of New York on May 11, 2016.




01/19/2017

BEAUMONT, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


East Texas man sentenced to 35 years in prison for producing child pornography
Steven Wayne Robinson, 40, of Daisetta, Texas, was sentenced Jan. 19 to 420 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone for two counts of producing child pornography. He pleaded guilty Sept. 1, 2016.



01/19/2017

LAS CRUCES, NM



NARCOTICS


Arizona man pleads guilty to cocaine trafficking charge in NM
Jesus Quiroz, 36, was arrested Sept. 9 on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing more than 72 kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute in Hidalgo County, New Mexico.



01/18/2017

SAN ANTONIO, TX



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE San Antonio removes Mexican fugitive wanted for 2002 homicide
Roberto Clemente Martinez-Guerrero, 44, is accused of a 2002 homicide that occurred in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Martinez-Guerrero was escorted by ICE officers to the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo, Texas, and transferred to Mexican authorities Jan. 18.



01/18/2017

HOUSTON, TX



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


Agreement reached to ensure destruction of timber believed to have been harvested in violation of Peruvian law
The timber was seized Dec. 20, 2015 by HSI at the Port of Houston, Texas for violation of the Lacey Act and customs law. It was destroyed in accordance with a settlement agreement reached by the United States and the importer of the timber, Oregon-based Popp Forest Products Inc.




01/18/2017

SEATTLE, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Ex-Seattle-area youth baseball umpire sentenced for producing child pornography
Jeremy Gregory, 36, befriended the victims’ father while serving as a youth baseball umpire and began taking the two boys, then 13 and 11 years old, to baseball games and amusement parks.



01/18/2017

LOS ANGELES, CA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


U.K. man who came to US to have sex with boys sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography
Paul Charles Wilkins, 70, of Littleport in East Cambridgeshire, England, a dual United States-United Kingdom citizen, was sentenced Wednesday morning by U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee.



01/18/2017

SEATTLE, WA



NARCOTICS


Alleged Seattle black tar heroin distributor arrested on state drug trafficking charges
Chuckie Mitchell, 30, who has an extensive criminal history including prior convictions for assault, domestic violence, felony drug trafficking, armed robbery and drug possession, was taken into custody on a probable cause.



01/17/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE HSI announces multiagency anti-trafficking task force in Philadelphia
The newly formed HSI-led task force has been awarded a grant by the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to combat both labor and sex trafficking in the region.




01/13/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION


Director Sarah R. Saldaña retires from government service
“I am going to miss you all,” Director Saldaña said, becoming emotional at several points during her remarks when talking about the men and women of ICE. “Keep your heads high; we have so much to be proud of in this agency.”



01/13/2017

SEATTLE, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Twice-convicted sex offender receives 15 years on child pornography charges
Scott Mitchell Cohen, 52, of Seattle, was arrested Jan. 16 after being identified as the user of an email account that had received images of child pornography. According to court records, the investigation began when Google alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about images of child sexual abuse that had been uploaded via a Google email account.



01/12/2017

MASSENA, NY



OPERATIONAL


Teamwork outweighs challenges for HSI Massena
The team at HSI Massena consists of special agents, intelligence research specialists and mission support specialists. In 2012, the office created a Border Enforcement Security Task Force that now employs full-time and part time personnel from 23 state, local, and federal U.S. and Canadian agencies.



01/12/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



CULTURAL PROPERTY, ART AND ANTIQUITIES INVESTIGATIONS


ICE returns cultural artifacts to Peru
Items returned included 296 ceramics and 51 textiles, some dating as far back as the 8th century A.D., including items from the Chancay civilization, which existed more than a thousand years ago in the area that is now modern day Peru. In addition, a Nazca-style Peruvian vessel, a comb, and a beaded necklace were among other artifacts returned, several from the Moche culture, an ancient Peruvian civilization. A 1735 copy of the book, “El Sol, y Año Feliz del Peru San Francisco Solano” was also be repatriated.




01/11/2017

ROCKFORD, IL



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Federal grand jury indicts Illinois man on child pornography charges
Pierre D. Hayes, 27, of Rockford, was charged Jan. 10 with three counts of transporting child pornography over the internet in 2015.



01/11/2017

MADISON, WI



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Wisconsin man sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography
Adrian Jaimes, 22, of Nekoosa, Wisconsin, was sentenced Jan. 11 by U.S. District Judge James Peterson to 97 months (eight years and one month) in federal prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release.



01/10/2017

LOS ANGELES, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Former wife of fugitive Chinese official pleads guilty to conspiring to commit immigration fraud related to EB-5 investor visa
Shilan Zhao, 53, of Newcastle, Washington, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiring with her ex-husband Jianjun Qiao, also known as Feng Li, 53, to commit immigration fraud by submitting false documents to federal authorities.



01/10/2017

LOS ANGELES, CA



OPERATIONAL


ICE HSI plays to win at 2017 Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses Parade
As part of that effort, personnel from the technical operations divisions with HSI headquarters and HSI Los Angeles worked jointly to strategically place additional technical and human resources in order to provide comprehensive visibility throughout the event.




01/10/2017

CHICAGO, IL



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Chicago-area middle school teacher sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography
John C. Vastis, 54, of Lakemoor, Illinois, began communicating online with one of his victims in 2013. From the outset, the chats were sexually charged. For nearly a year Vastis encouraged the victim to record sexually explicit photos and videos of himself and transmit the images over the internet to Vastis.



01/10/2017

HOUSTON, TX



FINANCIAL CRIMES


2 energy-industry businessmen plead guilty in Houston to foreign bribery charges in connection with Venezuelan contract scheme
Juan Jose Hernandez Comerma (Hernandez), 51, of Weston, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court in Houston to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one count of violating the FCPA. Charles Quintard Beech III, 46, of Katy, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA.



01/10/2017

RIVERSIDE, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


San Bernardino terrorist’s brother pleads guilty in immigration fraud case
Syed Raheel Farook, 31, of Corona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud before U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal.



01/09/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE Office of Community Engagement already hard at work in 2017
A critical part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mission is to increase local and national understanding of the agency and foster trust and collaboration in communities across the United States.




01/06/2017

SACRAMENTO, CA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Sacramento-area man sentenced to 15 years in prison on federal child pornography charge
Theodore Allen Leleaux, 34, appeared for his sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court Friday.


Pages