Thread: ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Oct. 23, 2015

I.C.E. News Release

OPERATIONAL

10/26/2015


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Oct. 23, 2015




October 21, 2015 – Human trafficking fugitive on ICE's top 10 list extradited to US from Mexico

Paulino Ramirez-Granados, who had been on ICE’s most wanted list since 2010, was arrested in Tenancingo, Mexico, following a joint investigation between ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Mexico City, HSI New York and the Mexican Federal Police. Full Story

October 22, 2015 – Feds shutter highly sophisticated smuggling tunnel south of San Diego

Federal agents with the San Diego Tunnel Task Force and Mexican authorities Wednesday night shut down one of the longest and most sophisticated smuggling tunnels ever discovered along the U.S.-Mexico border, seizing 12 tons of marijuana and arresting 22 suspects. Full Story

October 16, 2015 – ICE highlights dangers of illegal decorative contact lenses

ICE officials have announced a consumer warning ahead of Halloween about the dangers of counterfeit and unapproved decorative contact lenses after key developments in ongoing investigations targeting the unsafe items. Full Story

October 22, 2015 – ICE removes Mexican national wanted for triple murder and kidnapping

A Mexican national, wanted in his native county for his role in the drug-related kidnapping and murder of three brothers, was turned over Wednesday to Mexican law enforcement officials at the Grand Avenue Port of Entry by officers ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Full Story

October 22, 2015 – National Child Victim Identification Program honored at 2015 GCN Awards

ICE’s HSI National Child Victim Identification Program (VIP) was honored at the 2015 GCN Awards held at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia. The VIP program is part of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center (C3). Established in late 2011, the VIP program supports ICE’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation. Full Story

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...ng-oct-23-2015
---------------------------------------------

I.C.E. News Releases


10/23/2015

GREEN BAY, WI

FINANCIAL CRIMES

Wisconsin man sentenced to 18 months in prison for passing forged postal notes
Robert James Zoellner, 52, of Ripon, Wisconsin, was sentenced Oct. 22 by Chief U.S. District Judge William C. Griesbach. Zoellner previously pleaded guilty to a single count of passing forged postal notes.


10/23/2015

NEW YORK, NY

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

West African convicted for having ties to terrorism deported by ICE
Mamadu Serifo Biai (a/k/a Saliu Sisse) was convicted May 19 of conspiracy to provide material support to the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), a foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism; conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States; and conspiracy to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles. That same day, he was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment. He was credited for prison time he served during his criminal proceedings.


10/23/2015

HARTFORD, CT



COUNTER PROLIFERATION INVESTIGATION UNIT


Connecticut man sentenced to 97 months for trying to send military tech to Iran
Mozaffar Khazaee, 61, of Manchester, Connecticut, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison following conviction on one count of unlawful export and attempted export of defense articles from the U.S. in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Khazaee previously pleaded guilty to the charge on February 25, 2015. He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.



10/22/2015

SPRINGFIELD, MO



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Missouri woman sentenced to 20 years for producing child pornography
Chelese Penn, 25, of Hartville, Missouri, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Penn to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration.


10/22/2015

SPRINGFIELD, MO



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Missouri man sentenced to 10 years for child pornography
Frank Edwin Ness, 45, of Joplin, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Ness to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration, and ordered him to pay $5,000 in restitution to one of his victims.


10/22/2015

SAN DIEGO, CA



CONTRABAND


Feds shutter highly sophisticated smuggling tunnel south of San Diego
“Agents on the HSI-led Tunnel Task force in San Diego have once again dismantled a sophisticated cross-border tunnel that was about to become fully operational,” said Dave Shaw, special agent in charge of HSI San Diego. “As this investigation makes clear, we’re focused on ensuring border security and combating the cartels’ increasingly brazen and dangerous underground smuggling strategy.”


10/22/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



CHILD EXPLOITATION


National Child Victim Identification Program honored at 2015 GCN Awards
On Wednesday, October 14, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) National Child Victim Identification Program (VIP) was honored at the 2015 GCN Awards held at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia.




10/22/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



CONTRABAND


Lumber Liquidators pleads guilty to felony charge for illegal importation of lumber
Lumber Liquidators was charged earlier this month in the Eastern District of Virginia with one felony count of importing goods through false statements and four misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act, which makes it a crime to import timber that was taken in violation of the laws of a foreign country and to transport falsely-labeled timber across international borders into the United States.


10/22/2015

NOGALES, AZ



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes Mexican national wanted for triple murder and kidnapping
Roberto Garcia-Castillon, aka “El Robi,” 47, was repatriated under tight security, escorted by members of ERO’s tactical team and U.S. Border Patrol agents. After arriving at the Nogales border crossing, he was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Procuradaria General de la Republica (PGR). Garcia is charged with a kidnapping and triple homicide that occurred in the Mexican state of Sonora in September 2011.


10/22/2015

AMARILLO, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former Texas Panhandle resident indicted on sex trafficking and obscenity charges
Xzavion Dayshaun Ragsdale, aka “Yung Billy,” 19, formerly of Amarillo, Texas, and most recently Dallas, made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clinton E. Averitte who ordered Ragsdale to remain in federal custody, pending a detention hearing set for Monday.


10/21/2015

NEW YORK, NY



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


Human trafficking fugitive on ICE's top 10 list extradited to US from Mexico
Paulino Ramirez-Granados, who had been on ICE’s most wanted list since 2010, was arrested March 31 in Tenancingo, Mexico, following a joint investigation between ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Mexico City, HSI New York and the Mexican Federal Police.



10/21/2015

SANTA ANA, CA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


DMV worker, 5 others charged in sophisticated identity theft scheme
The case, which is the result of a three-year undercover probe conducted by HSI with substantial assistant from the DMV’s Investigations division, revealed that many of the ring’s customers were previously deported felons. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against three people believed to be customers of the identity theft ring, and authorities are seeking to take those individuals into custody.


10/21/2015

TAMPA, FL



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Florida man sentenced to more than 16 years for sex trafficking
According to the plea agreement, in October 2012 law enforcement officers received information on Kavin Carter, 40, of Lake City, related to human trafficking activities in Lakeland and Lake City. Law enforcement identified another man, Michael Gallon, 50, of Lakeland, as a “pimp” who was operating in Florida and the southeastern United States.


10/21/2015

NEWARK, NJ



FINANCIAL CRIMES


2 New Jersey men charged with wire fraud
Richard Adebayo, 38, of East Orange, and Amos Peter Agbajaife, 37, of Newark, were each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.


10/21/2015

DALLAS, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Dallas gang member sentenced to 21 years in federal prison on child sex trafficking conviction
Trenton McLemore, 29, a documented Webb Chapel Crip gang member, has been in custody since his arrest by officers with the Irving Police Department in September 2013. He pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of sex trafficking children.



10/20/2015

PHOENIX, AZ



WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT


Phoenix-area employer joins IMAGE program
Progressive Roofing, which is headquartered in Phoenix and has regional offices in 10 states, employs some 1,000 workers nationwide. The company was a subcontractor on several major construction projects, including the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium and the New Mexico Spaceport.


10/20/2015

FAIRFAX, VA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes man wanted for aggravated homicide in El Salvador
Upon his arrival in El Salvador, ERO officers transferred Jose Ricardo Portillo-Morales, 28, to the custody of the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC), El Salvador’s national police. Portillo-Morales is allegedly a member of “Lil Cycos Salvatruchas” (GLCS), a clique of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.


10/20/2015

SACRAMENTO, CA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Northern California man sentenced to 15 years for child pornography offense
Keith Joseph Banning, 59, of Magalia, pleaded guilty in April to receiving and distributing child pornography. According to court documents, an HSI undercover investigation revealed that during a three-month period beginning in June 2012, an Internet user at Banning’s home was employing a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to share pictures and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including videos involving children under the age of 10.


10/19/2015

FRESNO, CA



CONTRABAND


Mexican national admits role in illegal National Forest pot grow operation
Ezequiel Armas-Ortiz, 49, of Michoacán, Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and to manufacturing and possessing with intent to distribute marijuana in connection with a large-scale cultivation operation in the Brush Creek drainage in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County.



10/19/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Oct. 16, 2015
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Oct. 16, 2015


10/16/2015

NEW YORK, NY



INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS


Husband, wife arrested for conspiring to traffic millions of dollars' worth of counterfeit goods
Le Fu Chen, aka Tom Chen, aka Danny Chen, 40 and Hai Fan Huang, aka Cindy Haung, 36, of Roslyn Heights, New York are each charged with one count of conspiring to traffic counterfeit goods, and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. The married couple allegedly intended to distribute and sell the counterfeit products to retailers in Manhattan and elsewhere.

Pages

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• …

F.B.I. Breaking News
10.23.15
Chicago: Director continues efforts to further race and law enforcement discussion.
10.23.15
New Haven: Man gets eight years in plot to send U.S. military technology to Iran.
10.23.15
Chicago: Man charged with abducting woman from her home, setting her on fire.

D.E.A. TOP STORY

151 Arrested in DEA-Led Investigation of Synthetic Drug Rings
OCT 15 (WASHINGTON)

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with other federal, state, and local law enforcement today concluded a 15-month, nationwide drug interdiction effort that resulted in 151 arrests in 16 states. The enforcement action, known as Project Synergy III, targeted the synthetic designer drug industry, including wholesalers, money launderers and other criminal facilitators. In addition to curbing the flow of synthetic drugs into the country, Project Synergy III continues to reveal the flow of millions of dollars in U.S. synthetic drug proceeds to countries of concern in the Middle East.

READ MORE MORE TOP STORIES


D.E.A. LATEST NEWS

OCT 23	(SAN DIEGO) DEA Assists with another Super Tunnel
OCT 22	(DAYTON, Ohio) Felon Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm
OCT 21	(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) Heroin, Crack Cocaine Trafficker Pleads Guilty
OCT 20	(HARTFORD, Conn.) Man Sentenced for Trafficking Cocaine
OCT 20	(NEWARK, N.J.) Four Mile Run to Honor Fallen DEA Agent

MORE NEWS

A.T.F. Press Releases

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015

Two Denver Area Gang Members Receive Prison Sentences for Firearm and Drugs Crimes
Denver Field Division


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

Convicted Felon Sentenced to Almost Seventeen Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearms
Charlotte Field Division


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Dallas Men Sentenced on Cocaine, Heroin and Firearms Convictions
Dallas Field Division


Ride Or Die Gang Associate Sentenced on Drug Violations
New Orleans Field Division


TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Kankakee County Man Resentenced to Higher Prison Term for Repeated Trafficking of Crack Cocaine
Chicago Field Division


Chicago Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Gun Crime
St. Paul Field Division


Klamath Falls Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Seattle Field Division


Joshua Brandon Hinkle Sentenced to 110 Months for A-PVP Distribution Conspiracy
Nashville Field Division

Headlines News coverage of the U.S. Marshals

	Sexually violent predator takes cyanide after Colorado arrest
	SF Federal Judge Samuel Conti, 93, Set to Retire
	'Operation Boo Dat' targets sex offenders
	WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN: 21 suspects remain wanted in Gwinnett murders
	Authorities capture wanted man
	Three Teens Charged With Murder at DeKalb Gas Station
	Alabama white supremacist leader, wife caught after violating parole for murder solicitation
	Kansas man who fled U.S. captured after he returns
	Dallas police arrest suspect in Zoe Hastings murder case
	Ex-New Mexico policeman arrested in Arizona in homicide case
	U.S. Marshals search for Philip Shaw, convicted of sexual assault
	Ball returns to Camden, faces murder charge
	Washington's federal fugitives

JUSTICE NEWS



Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Support Reform of Virginia Laws that Curb Competition, Limit Consumer Choice, and Stifle Innovation for Health Care Services
Monday, October 26, 2015




San Juan Puerto Rico Agrees to Make Investments in Clean Water
Monday, October 26, 2015




High-Level International Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Long-Running Narcotics Conspiracy
Friday, October 23, 2015

MORE NEWS

News from CBP

October 26, 2015 | Local Media Release
BP Agents Seize Nearly $400,000 in Drugs, Arrest 16 Smugglers

October 26, 2015 | Local Media Release
Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Eric Odden Retires

October 26, 2015 | Local Media Release
CBP seizes Illegal and Unsafe Motor Vehicle

More News