I.C.E. News Releases


Top Stories: Last Week


07/08/2016

WASHINGTON, DC

HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


41 arrested in multinational human smuggling takedown in Central America and South America
I“Operation Mesoamerica” was a 15-month multinational investigation that began with a tip from the ICE HSI Assistant Attaché Office in Merida, Mexico, and ended Tuesday, June 28, with the arrest of 27 individuals throughout Central America. A second human smuggling investigation yielded 14 arrests on Monday, June 27, in Colombia



07/08/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



FINANCIAL CRIMES


US returns $1.5 million in forfeitures to family of former president of Taiwan
According to the civil forfeiture complaints filed in this case, Yuanta Securities Co. Ltd. paid a bribe of 200 million New Taiwan dollars (equivalent to approximately $6 million U.S. dollars) to former First Lady Wu Shu-Jen in 2004, during former President Chen Shui-Bian’s administration.



07/07/2016

SAN JUAN, P.R.



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


ICE, partners seize $6.5 million in counterfeit goods in Puerto Rico
During the operation, HSI special agents and partner law enforcement officers targeted 14 retailers of counterfeit goods infringing on the trademarks of Gucci, Michael Kors, Prada, Channel, Ray Ban, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Oakley, Nike, Ray Ban and the National Basketball Association.



07/07/2016

TAMPA, FL



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Tampa man sentenced to 50 years for child sexual exploitation offenses
The FDLE began an investigation into Donald Daniel Robinson, 30, of Tampa after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On July 8, 2015, agents from FDLE and ICE HSI executed a search warrant at Robinson's home where multiple images of child pornography, including images of local children, were found.




07/05/2016

FORT WORTH, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Fort Worth high school teacher arrested on federal felony child pornography charge
Matthew Anthony Keller, 24, of Watauga, Texas, made his initial appearance in federal court July 5 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, who ordered that he remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for July 6.


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

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I.C.E. NEWS RELEASES


07/08/2016

WASHINGTON, DC

HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


41 arrested in multinational human smuggling takedown in Central America and South America
I“Operation Mesoamerica” was a 15-month multinational investigation that began with a tip from the ICE HSI Assistant Attaché Office in Merida, Mexico, and ended Tuesday, June 28, with the arrest of 27 individuals throughout Central America. A second human smuggling investigation yielded 14 arrests on Monday, June 27, in Colombia



07/08/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



FINANCIAL CRIMES


US returns $1.5 million in forfeitures to family of former president of Taiwan
According to the civil forfeiture complaints filed in this case, Yuanta Securities Co. Ltd. paid a bribe of 200 million New Taiwan dollars (equivalent to approximately $6 million U.S. dollars) to former First Lady Wu Shu-Jen in 2004, during former President Chen Shui-Bian’s administration.



07/07/2016

ALBUQUERQUE, NM



FIREARMS, AMMUNITION AND EXPLOSIVES


NM felon sentenced to more than 6 years for unlawfully possessing firearm, ammunition
Francisco Roberto Esquibel, Jr., 34, was charged in a criminal complaint filed June 11, 2015, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the complaint, APD officers found the firearm while arresting Esquibel on an outstanding warrant.



07/07/2016

SAN JUAN, P.R.



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


ICE, partners seize $6.5 million in counterfeit goods in Puerto Rico
During the operation, HSI special agents and partner law enforcement officers targeted 14 retailers of counterfeit goods infringing on the trademarks of Gucci, Michael Kors, Prada, Channel, Ray Ban, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Oakley, Nike, Ray Ban and the National Basketball Association.




07/07/2016

TAMPA, FL



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Tampa man sentenced to 50 years for child sexual exploitation offenses
The FDLE began an investigation into Donald Daniel Robinson, 30, of Tampa after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On July 8, 2015, agents from FDLE and ICE HSI executed a search warrant at Robinson's home where multiple images of child pornography, including images of local children, were found.



07/06/2016

SAN ANTONIO, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Northwest Texas man sentenced to life in prison for human smuggling that led to the torture of several victims
Eduardo Rocha, Sr., aka “Lalo,” was sentenced July 6 by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses to life in prison. In addition to the prison term, Judge Moses ordered Rocha to pay $10,481.20 in restitution to his victims and forfeit to the government his real property located in Carrizo Springs, Texas where the crimes were committed.



07/05/2016

FRESNO, CA



NARCOTICS


Defendants charged in large-scale Sierra National Forest marijuana grow appear in court
Francisco Javier Gomez-Rodriguez, 38, of Pihuamo, Jalisco, Mexico, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to three years and five months in prison and ordered to pay $8,750 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service.



07/05/2016

LUBBOCK, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


West Texas man sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography
According to documents filed in his case, Nicholas Daniel Glass, 34, of San Angelo, Texas, used his cellular telephone and a laptop computer to possess and access images of one or more minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.




07/05/2016

FORT WORTH, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Fort Worth high school teacher arrested on federal felony child pornography charge
Matthew Anthony Keller, 24, of Watauga, Texas, made his initial appearance in federal court July 5 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, who ordered that he remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for July 6.



07/02/2016

NEWARK, NJ



COUNTER PROLIFERATION INVESTIGATION UNIT


New Jersey man gets nearly 6 years for role in sensitive electronics smuggling network
Alexander Brazhnikov Jr., 37, a naturalized United States citizen born in Moscow, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to smuggle electronics from the United States, and one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Brazhnikov also agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment against him in the amount of $65 million.



07/01/2016

FRESNO, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


6 Mexican nationals indicted for running a counterfeit document ring
The defendants - including Angelica Moreno-Velasquez, 31, Maria Victoria Perez-Vasquez, 30, Francisco Javier Hidalgo-Flores, 25, Lizet Amairani Ramirez-Zazueta, 26, and Veronica Rosales-Capitaine, 49, all of Fresno, and Fidel Vasquez-Velasquez, 22, of Madera - are charged with conspiracy; transferring false identification documents; possessing document-making implements; and fraud and misuse of alien registration receipt cards.



07/01/2016

SAN DIEGO, CA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Ohio seminary student sentenced to more than 15 years for attempting to buy children in Mexico for sex
Joel Alexander Wright, 23, appeared in federal court Friday morning. In addition to the prison term, the judge also imposed the added condition that Wright will be subject to lifetime supervision.




06/30/2016

CHICAGO, IL



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


HSI Chicago seizes nearly 60 tons of honey illegally imported from China
The honey likely originated from the same exporter in Vietnam as another 60 tons of honey that was seized by HSI Chicago in the Midwest in April. Wednesday’s seizure was allegedly imported into the United States by a shell importer of record in New York, New York. Agents located the honey by combing through transportation shipping records to piece together its whereabouts.



06/29/2016

ALBUQUERQUE, NM



FINANCIAL CRIMES


2 New Mexico residents federally indicted for health care fraud
Cory Werito, 32, of Farmington, and Rosita Toledo, 46, of Kirtland, are charged in a 10-count indictment filed June 15. Werito and Toledo were arrested June 28, and made their initial appearances in federal court in Farmington. They remain in custody pending their arraignment and detention hearings, which are set for June 30 in Albuquerque.



06/29/2016

ROANOKE, VA



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Sex trafficker sentenced to 156 months in federal prison
Terrell Banker, 26, was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges following a jury trial in October 2015. A co-defendant, Laura Cook, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 58 months in prison earlier this year.



06/29/2016

WILMINGTON, DE



COUNTER PROLIFERATION INVESTIGATION UNIT


Chinese national sentenced to 30 months for smuggling sensitive technologies to China
On June 16, 2015, Kan Chen, 26, of Ningbo, China, in Zhejiang Province, was arrested by HSI special agents on the Northern Mariana Island of Saipan following an eight-month investigation into his illegal conduct and has remained in custody.




06/29/2016

FORT WORTH, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Dallas County elementary school teacher federally charged with receiving child pornography
Following a probable cause and detention hearing Wednesday in federal court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton ordered that Mark Stutheit, 59, remain in federal custody. Stutheit is a teacher at Reinhardt Elementary School in Dallas.



06/29/2016

ALBUQUERQUE, NM



CHILD EXPLOITATION


New Mexico man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child pornography conviction
Erik Bilal Khan, 36, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was also ordered to lifetime supervised release, and he must register as a sex offender after completing his sentence.



06/28/2016

NEWARK, NJ



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Rhode Island woman sentenced to 6 years for immigration scheme
Patria Zuniga, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $713,850. In January 2016, Zuniga pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire fraud.



06/28/2016

FRESNO, CA



NARCOTICS


Fresno-area woman pleads guilty to laundering profits from synthetic drug sales
Natalie Middleton, 30, of Clovis, appeared in federal court Monday. According to court documents, Middleton purchased a Lake Tahoe time share with proceeds obtained from the sales of smokable synthetic cannabinoids. Middleton’s plea agreement states that, from January through March 2013, she was employed as a national sales representative for ZenBio LLC (ZenBio).




06/28/2016

FORT WORTH, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


North Texas man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
According to documents filed in the case, between about January and April 2014, Bryan Kendall Pittsinger, 39, of Arlington, Texas, knowingly used a minor female (MV1) to engage in sexually explicit conduct that he photographed at his Arlington residence.



06/27/2016

NEWPORT NEWS, VA



NARCOTICS


Virginia-based spice retailer, wholesaler pleads guilty
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, from 2008 to 2014, Jayson Mickle, 31, sold synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “spice,” in the Hampton Roads area and, eventually, nationwide. Spice consists of plant material sprayed with ever changing active chemical ingredients often produced in clandestine laboratories in China.



06/27/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending June 24, 2016
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending June 24, 2016



06/24/2016

MCALLEN, TX



OPERATIONAL


South Texas man charged with pointing laser at a law enforcement helicopter
Juan Peralez, 57, from La Joya, Texas, was taken into custody June 23 after a federal criminal complaint was filed. Peralez is scheduled to make his initial appearance June 24 before U.S Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby




06/24/2016

SAN DIEGO, CA



NARCOTICS


11 indicted for role in drug ring that used ‘body carriers’ to smuggle narcotics through local port
The 11 defendants were taken into custody during enforcement actions Wednesday and Thursday throughout the Imperial Valley. In addition to the arrests, federal investigators also seized seven firearms during the two-day operation, which involved warranted searches at four locations, including sites in Brawley and Calipatria. Many of the search locations were private homes where the drugs and firearms were stored and sold.

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