News Releases


OPERATIONAL

11/30/2015


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 27, 2015




November 23, 2015 — HSI, Peru's National Tax Administration sign agreement to combat trade-based money laundering

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin and Peru’s Deputy Superintendent of the National Tax Administration (SUNAT) Iván Luyo signed an agreement establishing a Trade Transparency Unit (TTU). Full Story

November 20, 2015 — ICE, CBP issue warning ahead of shopping season

Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are advising shoppers this holiday season to be aware of online scams that would have consumers purchase counterfeit goods instead of genuine products. Full Story

November 23, 2015 — ICE HSI investigation leads to arrest of 8 in US, Mexico for human trafficking

Special agents in New York and the Mexican Federal Police in Mexico arrested eight people for human trafficking and sex trafficking related charges. Full Story

November 25, 2015 — Salvadoran wanted on murder charges removed by ICE

A 40-year-old Salvadoran who fled from El Salvador to evade criminal charges for attempted murder was removed by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Full Story

November 25, 2015 — Minnesota man sentenced to 23½ years for sex trafficking across state lines

A suburban Twin Cities man was sentenced to 23 ½ years in federal prison following his conviction for sex trafficking women across state lines. Full Story

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...ng-nov-27-2015
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I.C.E. News Releases


11/25/2015

MINNEAPOLIS, MN


HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Minnesota man sentenced to 23½ years for sex trafficking across state lines
Rahmad Lashad Geddes, aka “Face,” aka “Poo Poo,” 36, from Blaine, Minnesota, was sentenced to 282 months in federal prison after being convicted of the following charges: on one count of sex trafficking, one count of transportation with intent to engage in prostitution, and one count of being a career criminal in possession of a firearm.


11/25/2015

FARGO, ND



CHILD EXPLOITATION


North Dakota man sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography
Christopher Halligan, 47, of Emerado, North Dakota, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison based on his conviction on one count of receiving and three counts of possessing child pornography. Emerado is a small town near the Grand Forks Air Force Base.


11/25/2015

BALTIMORE, MD



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Salvadoran wanted on murder charges removed by ICE
According to Salvadoran police reports, on Dec. 24, 2004, Rafael Antonio Vaquerano was drinking with the victim when an argument ensued. Vaquerano took out his weapon and fired one shot hitting the victim in the abdomen. The victim subsequently passed away.



11/25/2015

LOS ANGELES, CA



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


Former Los Angeles-area woman gets nearly 5-year federal prison term for trafficking counterfeit cigarettes
Su Qin Yang, 45, who resided in Rosemead prior to fleeing to China in 2012, pleaded guilty in May to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods and admitted in her plea agreement that she trafficked in almost four million counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes and almost 4,000 counterfeit Viagra pills.


11/23/2015

LIMA, PERU



FINANCIAL CRIMES


HSI, Peru's National Tax Administration sign agreement to combat trade-based money laundering
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin and Peru’s Deputy Superintendent of the National Tax Administration (SUNAT) Iván Luyo signed an agreement Friday establishing a Trade Transparency Unit (TTU).


11/23/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 20, 2015
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 20, 2015


11/23/2015

NEW YORK, NY



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE HSI investigation leads to arrest of 8 in US, Mexico for human trafficking
Over a two-day period, authorities arrested five defendants in Mexico and two in Queens, New York, as part of a coordinated bilateral law enforcement action. The defendants are Jovan Rendon-Reyes; Saul Rendon-Reyes; Guillermina Rendon-Reyes; Francisco Rendon-Reyes; Jose Rendon-Garcia; Felix Rojas; Odilon Martinez-Rojas; and Severiano Martinez-Rojas.



11/23/2015

FORT WORTH, TX



CONTRABAND


North Texas man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for role in methamphetamine distribution conspiracy
A North Texas man was sentenced Monday to 240 months in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.


11/23/2015

FORT WORTH, TX



CONTRABAND


Wichita Falls, Texas, man sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison for role in methamphetamine distribution conspiracy
A Wichita Falls, Texas, man was sentenced by to serve 235 months in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.


11/20/2015

ALEXANDRIA, LA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes Salvadoran man wanted for murder
Carlos Alejandro Hernandez, 23, was encountered July 11 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, after he illegally crossed the border into the United States. On Oct. 5 an immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States.


11/20/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE appoints family residential center federal advisory committee members
The committee’s charter requires that membership consist of up to 15 members, representing a variety of perspectives, with at least one representative from each of the following disciplines: primary education, immigration law, physical and mental health, trauma-informed services, family and youth services, detention management and detention reform.



11/20/2015

MADISON, WI



FINANCIAL CRIMES


Nigerian woman sentenced in Wisconsin to 10 years for bilking her victims out of more than $2.3 million in Internet-dating fraud scheme
Sally Iriri, 33, a Nigerian national who was living in Chicago, was sentenced Nov. 20 by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, Western District of Wisconsin, for wire fraud. Iriri’s co-defendant, Michael Adegoke, 33, also a Nigerian national, was arrested in Atlanta Nov. 3.


11/20/2015

DALLAS, TX



TRANSNATIONAL GANGS


52 additional members, associates of various white supremacist organizations arrested in Texas during second phase of drug conspiracy investigation
Following are the defendants who are charged in this superseding indictment: Ramon Aguilar; Christopher Alexander; William Lee Benham; Eric Scott Benson; Ronnie Mikel Brown; Jonas Carrera; Hugo Ivan Castaneda; John Anthony Chavez Jr.; Justo Salvador Chavez Jr.; Micah Torrence Dees; Abraham Dimas Jr.; Tina Wynette Easley; Crissy Lynn Evans; Taylor Maxlynn Fletcher; Joe Lee Foard, Jr.; Michael William Getsinger; Alejandro Gonzalez; Quincy John Goodson; Michael Thor Guinn; Tommy Dare Hancock; David Lesley Holt; David Wayne Holt; Brennan Nicole House; Desirae Ann Houser; Beau James Jarnagin; Jeff Jeremy Johnston; Kory Wade Kloecker; Jimmy David Lance; Samantha Ladell Largent; Blake Allen Long-Rockey; Ricardo Garcia Medina; Benjamin Matthew Melton; Craig Don Mueller; Brian Casey Mullins; Stacy Wayne Myers; James Marshall Nation; Wendy Renee Neal; Mackenzie Nelson; Raymond Anthony Nichols; Shanna Lynn Palmer; Christian Perez; Francisco Manuel Radamez-Nava; Jorge Ramirez; Bruce Chance Rash; John James Rumfield; Jackie Lemonds Segura; Brandon Kyle Smith; Alicia Gale Tambourine; Jamie Lynn Tucker; Troy Anthony Wallace; Roger Wayne Whitworth Jr.; and John Fitzgerald Yates (deceased).


11/20/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


ICE, CBP issue warning ahead of shopping season
Counterfeit electronics that overheat due to improper manufacture, fake bicycle helmets that break upon impact and phony cosmetics that lead to skin ailments are just a few examples of knock-off items sold online that present a serious health and safety risk. Seasonal items like holiday lights can also be counterfeit, poorly wired and ignite fires.


11/20/2015

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Dallas man sentenced to almost 17 years in prison for using social media to produce child pornography
Daniel Fredrick Heidemann, 42, was sentenced to 200 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos.



11/20/2015

PHOENIX, AZ



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Phoenix man ordered to serve 14-year sentence for child exploitation offenses
An Awatukee man was sentenced to a 14-year prison term Thursday for trading and receiving child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).


11/20/2015

LUBBOCK, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


70-year-old West Texas man sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on child pornography conviction
According to plea documents filed in the case, John Everette Murdock, of Lubbock, Texas, used a computer to access, with intent to view, various images of child pornography. He used file-sharing software to search for material that was likely to result in his access to child pornography, which he viewed and then deleted.


11/20/2015

LUBBOCK, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Central Texas man sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for possessing prepubescent child pornography
Michael Thomas Franks, 44, of Brownwood, Texas, was remanded into custody.


11/19/2015

LAS CRUCES, NM



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Texas man sentenced in New Mexico to 10 years for child exploitation
Juan Hernandez, 46, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release. He must also register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.



11/19/2015

PROVIDENCE, RI



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Rhode Island man pleads guilty to sex trafficking and heroin conspiracy
Damien Beverly, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

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