I.C.E. News Release

OPERATIONAL

03/21/2016

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending March 18, 2016





March 11, 2016 – ICE recovers stolen Indian artifacts from major auction house ahead of Asia Week New York

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in conjunction with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seized two stolen Indian statues, believed to be from the 8th and 10th centuries A.D. The artifacts were recovered from Christie's auction house in New York City and are the result of an international investigation led by HSI and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, with assistance from the government of India and Interpol.Full Story

March 15, 2016 – ICE removes Iranian national convicted of exporting sensitive technologies

An Iranian man, convicted in 2013 of exporting helicopter components from the United States to Iran in violation of laws aimed at protecting national security, was turned over to authorities in Tehran by officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Full Story

March 10, 2016 – South Texas ICE officers deport fugitive Salvadoran MS-13 gang member wanted for triple murder and attempted murder

A Salvadoran man, who is wanted for a triple murder and attempted murder in his home country, was deported by officers with ICE’s ERO in San Antonio. Full Story

March 16, 2016 – ICE arrests 15 in Northern Illinois area during operation targeting criminal aliens

Fifteen convicted criminal aliens were arrested in Northern Illinois during a two-day operation conducted by officers from ICE’s ERO. Full Story

March 18, 2016 – HSI Special Agent featured in human trafficking documentary

ICE’s HSI Dallas Special Agent Keith Owens doesn’t know how Oscar Gregg got his name, number or email address, but somehow, he did. The researcher for Blast! Films, based in the United Kingdom, reached out to Owens in May 2015 about a human trafficking case he had worked on in 2012. The company was interested in featuring Owens and the case for its television series, “Web of Lies,” which airs on the ID Channel. Full Story

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...-march-18-2016
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I.C.E. News Releases:


03/18/2016

HOUSTON, TX

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

ICE Houston deports Salvadoran man wanted for homicide
Juan Ramon Gonzalez-Hernandez, 22, was flown to El Salvador March 18 and turned over to Salvadoran officials.


03/18/2016

DALLAS, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


HSI Special Agent featured in human trafficking documentary
The investigation that the television series sought to feature focused on Owens’ work in putting an end to a juvenile sex trafficking ring in Denton, Texas. As part of the HSI-led North Texas Trafficking Task Force, Owens led the efforts to arrest and prosecute two adults who had prostituted 14-year-old “Hope” to more than 30 men across five states over a three-week period.


03/18/2016

NEW ORLEANS, LA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE detainee passes away after suffering heart attack
Thongchay Saengsiri, 65, was transferred from the LaSalle Detention Facility via ambulance to the hospital March 17, after experiencing shortness of breath.



03/17/2016

DALLAS, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Convicted sex offender from North Texas sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
Shannon Buck, 43, from Irving, Texas, admitted that he used Jane Doe to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and then used his camera to record that conduct.


03/17/2016

SAN ANTONIO, TX



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


South Texas ICE officers deport fugitive Salvadoran MS-13 gang member wanted for triple murder and attempted murder
Jose Carlos Granado-Melgar, 29, was flown to El Salvador March 17 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Granado-Melgar was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).


03/16/2016

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Previously convicted Southeast Texas sex offender sentenced to 50 years in prison for producing child pornography while babysitting 7-year-old
Daniel Benson Billman Jr., 43, of Aransas Pass, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack to 600 months in federal prison. Billman was further ordered to serve the rest of his life on supervised release, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet.


03/16/2016

ROCKFORD, IL



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE arrests 15 in Northern Illinois area during operation targeting criminal aliens
All 15 arrested have been convicted of crimes in the United States and fall within ICE’s enforcement priorities for deportation. They have been convicted of the following crimes: aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, aggravated unlawful use of a firearm, aggravated drunk driving, aggravated battery/great bodily harm, lewd and lascivious behavior in public, and drug possession.



03/16/2016

NEWARK, NJ



OPERATIONAL


ICE public affairs officer completes prestigious mentorship with 54th US Senate Youth Program
The 54th annual program was held in Washington, D.C., from March 5 – 12. Two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity spent a week in Washington experiencing their government in action.


03/15/2016

PHILADELPHIA, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes Iranian national convicted of exporting sensitive technologies
Amir Abbas Tamimi, 44, was repatriated on board a commercial flight escorted by Philadelphia-based ERO officers. After arriving at Imam Khomeini International Airport, ERO officers transferred Tamimi to the custody of Iranian law enforcement.


03/15/2016

SPOKANE, WA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Washington state man sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor
According to court documents, Thomas E. Lafontaine, 35, responded to a personal ad placed by an HSI special agent in late 2014, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl.


03/14/2016

LOS ANGELES, CA



FINANCIAL CRIMES


Federal jury convicts Los Angeles-area man of credit card fraud for possessing card numbers stolen from gas station ‘skimmers’
Koren Robert Kechedzian, 24, of Studio City, was convicted by a federal jury March 11 of two counts of credit card fraud (specifically, two counts of possession of 15 or more counterfeit access devices) and two counts of aggravated identity theft.



03/14/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending March 11, 2016
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending March 11, 2016


03/14/2016

SAN DIEGO, CA



OPERATIONAL


San Diego man sentenced to 8 years in prison for making false statements during international terrorism probe
Mohamad Saeed Kodaimati, 25, a naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of false statements related to international terrorism. As part of his guilty plea, Kodaimati acknowledged that he lied in March 2015 when he said he did not know any members of Islamic State in Iraq, a designated foreign terrorist organization known as ISIL.


03/14/2016

LOS ANGELES, CA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Los Angeles man sentenced to 150 years in prison for sexually abusing minors in Russia
Yusef Yunosovich Abramov, 58, was convicted by a jury in November 2015 of five felony counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. According to evidence introduced during the trial, the dual Russian-U.S. citizen flew from Los Angeles to Russia in June 2009 and, shortly after arriving, raped a 12-year-old girl.


03/14/2016

FORT WORTH, TX



FINANCIAL CRIMES


North Texas man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for money laundering
According to plea documents filed in the case, Hao Tran, 37, of Grand Prairie, Texas, purchased a $150,000 cashier’s check using profits from his illegal drug trafficking business which he operated between California and Texas.



03/11/2016

NEW YORK, NY



CULTURAL PROPERTY, ART AND ANTIQUITIES INVESTIGATIONS


ICE, CBP recover 2nd century Bodhisattva head destined for auction during New York's Asia Week
This seizure contained a 2nd Century Bodhisattva schist head from the Gandhara region (likely from what is now known today as Swat Valley, Pakistan,) and is estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.


03/11/2016

NEW YORK, NY



CULTURAL PROPERTY, ART AND ANTIQUITIES INVESTIGATIONS


ICE recovers stolen Indian artifacts from major auction house ahead of Asia Week New York
The seizure comes just days before a planned March 15, 2016 auction of the items as part of the "Asia Week New York" festivities. Christie's had included the two artifacts in an auction entitled: "The Lahiri Collection: Indian and Himalayan Art, Ancient and Modern."


03/11/2016

DALLAS, TX



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


North Texas man sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison for child sex-trafficking conspiracy involving a 12-year-old girl
Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, aka, Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, 33, of Irving, Texas, was sentenced to 293 months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, and also sentenced to 120 months for one count of possessing counterfeit documents. Both sentences are to be served concurrently.


03/11/2016

ORLANDO, FL



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE arrests 25 criminal aliens in central Florida
All of those arrested by ICE during last week’s enforcement action met one of the agency’s top two enforcement priorities. All encountered had criminal records, some were felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as manslaughter, child abuse, robbery, false imprisonment, felony DUI, hit and run, armed burglary, racketeering, as well as weapons and drug violations.



03/11/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM


SEVP unveils online STEM OPT Hub
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published amended regulations on optional practical training (OPT) for certain international students with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees from U.S. institutions of higher education.


03/11/2016

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Previously deported Mexican man sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for possessing child pornography while illegally entering US
Jesus Hernandez-Ramos, 33, was sentenced March 11 by Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack to 86 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release.


03/10/2016

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Southeast Texas man sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography
Robert Wayne Collins, 63, of Kingsville, Texas, was sentenced March 10 to 84 months in prison. Collins was further ordered to pay a $17,500 fine, five years of supervised release, and compliance with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet.


03/10/2016

ALEXANDRIA, VA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Local middle school volunteer convicted of producing child pornography
On June, 16, the Manassas City Police Department arrested David Alexander Battle II, 24, after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and discovered evidence of child pornography, including two gigabytes of videos that appeared to be child pornography involving infants.


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