I.C.E. Top Stories: Last Week


09/08/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA

OPERATIONAL


Belgium fugitive arrested at Amtrak station in Philadelphia
Vincent Didler Jean-Marie Gilbert Simonon, 32, is wanted in Belgium, for alleged intentional manslaughter in connection with the brutal slaying of his neighbor, Christiane Darimont, and the concealment of her body, sometime in late July or early August 2017.


09/08/2017

FRESNO, CA

TRANSNATIONAL GANGS


Multiagency probe targeting suspected drug and firearms trafficking by Fresno-area street gang results in more than 2 dozen arrests
All of those charged in the federal criminal complaint are Fresno residents. They include: Carlos Montano, 27; Filibert Chavez, 35; Robin Gill, 31; Gabriel Gomez, 26; Juan Carlos Briceno, 36; Nicholas Bolanos, 25; Daniel Villanueva, 19; Gerrick Travis Tyrell Franklin, 27; Amina Padilla, 34; Robert Lockhart, 52; Idelfonso Soto, 19; Carlos Melgar, 36; Jeni Fries, 23; Cisco Hernandez, 23; Miguel Murrillo, 22; Adolfo Jesus Mendoza, 23; Jesus Melgarejo Jr., 26; and Cesar Gutierrez, 24.


09/07/2017

WASHINGTON, DC

STATEMENT

ICE statement regarding questions on enforcement planning
While we generally do not comment on future potential law enforcement actions, operational plans are subject to change based on a variety of factors. Due to the current weather situation in Florida and other potentially impacted areas, along with the ongoing recovery in Texas, ICE had already reviewed all upcoming operations and has adjusted accordingly. There is currently no coordinated nationwide operation planned at this time. The priority in the affected areas should remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining activities.



09/06/2017

SAN DIEGO, CA

FINANCIAL CRIMES


22 indicted in ICE-led probe into multimillion dollar theft ring that targeted upscale shopping malls in San Diego area and nationwide
Twelve of the defendants named in the indictment were arrested Wednesday morning during a carefully coordinated operation in the San Diego area involving more than 250 federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. Three of those charged in the cases were already in custody. The other seven individuals named in the indictment remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon. The defendants who are in custody are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court Thursday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Lynn Major.



09/06/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA


ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes murder suspect wanted in Guatemala
Elmer Hernandez-Natareno, 41, unlawfully entered the United States, at a location and date unknown.

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

I.C.E. News Releases


09/11/2017

NEW YORK, NY

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

ICE removes top Mexican drug trafficker
Esteban Rodriguez-Olivera, 52, departed from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and arrived in Mexico without incident.



09/08/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA



OPERATIONAL


Belgium fugitive arrested at Amtrak station in Philadelphia
Vincent Didler Jean-Marie Gilbert Simonon, 32, is wanted in Belgium, for alleged intentional manslaughter in connection with the brutal slaying of his neighbor, Christiane Darimont, and the concealment of her body, sometime in late July or early August 2017.



09/08/2017

NEWARK, NJ



CHILD EXPLOITATION


New Jersey man sentenced to 40 years in prison for producing and possessing images of child sexual abuse
Felix Restitullo, 42, of Jersey City, was convicted in May 2017 of one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following a two-week trial.



09/08/2017

LAS CRUCES, NM



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Texas man pleads guilty to transporting woman to New Mexico for prostitution
Markell Quashan Sweargin, 19, of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested in June on a criminal complaint charging him with transporting a person in interstate commerce for the purpose of forcing the person to engage in a commercial sex act. The complaint alleged that on June 14, officers of the Hobbs (New Mexico) Police Department arrested Sweargin on state charges after responding to a domestic disturbance call from a woman, who claimed that Sweargin strangled and assaulted her during an altercation arising from her refusal to engage in a sexual act with another man for money.




09/08/2017

FRESNO, CA



TRANSNATIONAL GANGS


Multiagency probe targeting suspected drug and firearms trafficking by Fresno-area street gang results in more than 2 dozen arrests
All of those charged in the federal criminal complaint are Fresno residents. They include: Carlos Montano, 27; Filibert Chavez, 35; Robin Gill, 31; Gabriel Gomez, 26; Juan Carlos Briceno, 36; Nicholas Bolanos, 25; Daniel Villanueva, 19; Gerrick Travis Tyrell Franklin, 27; Amina Padilla, 34; Robert Lockhart, 52; Idelfonso Soto, 19; Carlos Melgar, 36; Jeni Fries, 23; Cisco Hernandez, 23; Miguel Murrillo, 22; Adolfo Jesus Mendoza, 23; Jesus Melgarejo Jr., 26; and Cesar Gutierrez, 24.



09/08/2017

ATLANTA, GA



FINANCIAL CRIMES


Russian cyber-criminal pleads guilty to role in multimillion dollar online identity theft ring
Roman Valeryevich Seleznev, aka Track2, aka Bulba, aka Ncux, 33, entered guilty pleas in two separate criminal cases at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia. Seleznev pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a racketeering enterprise related to an indictment returned in the District of Nevada, and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud as part of an indictment returned in the Northern District of Georgia.



09/07/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



STATEMENT


ICE statement regarding questions on enforcement planning
While we generally do not comment on future potential law enforcement actions, operational plans are subject to change based on a variety of factors. Due to the current weather situation in Florida and other potentially impacted areas, along with the ongoing recovery in Texas, ICE had already reviewed all upcoming operations and has adjusted accordingly. There is currently no coordinated nationwide operation planned at this time. The priority in the affected areas should remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining activities.




09/07/2017

ALBUQUERQUE, NM



FINANCIAL CRIMES


NM man sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison for role in $2 million federal health care fraud scheme
Cory Werito, 33, from Farmington, New Mexico, and his co-defendant, Rosita Toledo, 48, of Kirtland, New Mexico, were charged in a 10-count indictment filed June 15, 2016. The indictment included nine health care fraud charges against Werito and Toledo, and an aggravated currency structuring charge against Werito.




09/07/2017

ALBUQUERQUE, NM



NARCOTICS


NM man sentenced to 5 years for drug trafficking, illegally possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon
Alex Bernard Fletcher, 41, of Albuquerque, must also serve five years on supervised release after he completes his prison sentence, and must perform 50 hours of community service.



09/06/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



STATEMENT


DHS statement regarding safety and enforcement during Hurricane Irma
As Hurricane Irma approaches the United States and its territories, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) highest priorities – as they were with Hurricane Harvey – are to promote life-saving and life-sustaining activities, the safe evacuation of people who are leaving the impacted area, the maintenance of public order, the prevention of the loss of property to the extent possible, and the speedy recovery of the region. Anyone in the path of this storm should follow instructions from their local officials and heed any warnings as this dangerous storm approaches.



09/06/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA



NARCOTICS


Philadelphia man indicted for possession of 28 kilograms of cocaine
Philadelphia’s HSI-led Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) headed the investigation into Luis A. Perez-Santiago, 38, who, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, lifetime supervised release, at least five years supervised release, a fine of $10,000,000 and a $100 special assessment.



09/06/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


British man sentenced to 264 months for child sex crimes in 3 continents
Paul Leighton, 32, was sentenced to 264 months in the United Kingdom (UK), for 21 counts relating to child sex crimes. The man committed child sex crimes in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.




09/06/2017

SAN DIEGO, CA



FINANCIAL CRIMES


22 indicted in ICE-led probe into multimillion dollar theft ring that targeted upscale shopping malls in San Diego area and nationwide
Twelve of the defendants named in the indictment were arrested Wednesday morning during a carefully coordinated operation in the San Diego area involving more than 250 federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. Three of those charged in the cases were already in custody. The other seven individuals named in the indictment remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon. The defendants who are in custody are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court Thursday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Lynn Major.



09/06/2017

PHILADELPHIA, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes murder suspect wanted in Guatemala
Elmer Hernandez-Natareno, 41, unlawfully entered the United States, at a location and date unknown.



09/05/2017

MIAMI, FL



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE detainee passes away at Larkin Community Hospital
Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been notified about the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ICE has advised Cuban Embassy representatives.



09/05/2017

WILMINGTON, DE



COUNTER PROLIFERATION INVESTIGATION UNIT


HSI Special Agent featured in CNN documentary
“Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies” is a CNN Original Series hosted by former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. Each week, the series highlights true stories of America’s covert operations with first-person accounts told by the agents who lived it.




09/05/2017

MCALLEN, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


5 South Texas residents each receive significant federal prison sentences for their roles in hostage-taking conspiracy
Luis Aguilar Jr., 19; brothers Alhan Sanchez, 20, and Aaron Sanchez, 21, and Ricardo Renteria, 26, all of Mission; and Renteria’s nephew Ricardo Renteria-Rivera, 23, a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States, were sentenced Sept. 5 by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez.



09/05/2017

FORT WORTH, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


North Texas man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor
Marquis Konrad Streaty, 32, of Arlington, Texas, was convicted in May 2017 on one count of enticing a child following a three-day jury trial. He has been in custody since the trial verdict.



09/05/2017

FORT WORTH, TX



FINANCIAL CRIMES


North Texas businessman sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for his role in a Ponzi oil and gas fraud scheme
James VanBlaricum, 78, of Colleyville, Texas, who operated Signal Oil and Gas Company (SOG) and Texas Energy Management, which later became Texas Energy Mutual (TEM), pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of mail fraud. He has been in custody since his arrest in mid-August 2016.



09/01/2017

NEW YORK, NY



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes murder suspect wanted in Honduras
Erick Raudales-Raudales, aka Gerson Reiniri Raudales-Acosta, 24, unlawfully entered the United States, at a location and date unknown.




09/01/2017

FORT WORTH, TX



NARCOTICS


28 charged in North Texas with methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine distribution conspiracy
Twenty-eight defendants in the North Texas area have been charged in a federal criminal complaint, and partially unsealed Friday, with felony offenses stemming from their role in a methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin conspiracy that operated in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.



09/01/2017

NEW YORK, NY



COUNTER PROLIFERATION INVESTIGATION UNIT


Chinese national sentenced to 3 years for scheme to illegally export military-grade materials
Fuyi Sun, aka Frank, 53, of Shanghai, China, was arrested, and subsequently convicted, in connection with a scheme to illegally export to China, without a license, high-grade carbon fiber that is used primarily in aerospace and military applications.



09/01/2017

HOUSTON, TX



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Houston authorities announce formation of working group to fight Hurricane Harvey related fraud
Representatives from numerous federal and state law enforcement agencies have formed a working group to investigate and prosecute illegal activity related to Hurricane Harvey.



08/30/2017

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE deploys over 200 personnel to assist with Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts
“I’m extremely proud of the men and women of ICE who have stepped up to provide life-saving assistance to those in need,” said ICE Acting Director Thomas D. Homan. “I have the utmost admiration for those who volunteer to forgo the comfort of their homes and families to help others in distress.”

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