News Releases and Statements

HSI Baltimore’s commitment to public safety makes a tangible impact on the Eastern Seaboard and 2022 was a year of significant achievements, especially in human trafficking investigations conducted by HSI Baltimore’s Human Exploitation Group (HEG).

Orlando Gonzalez, 22, from Roma, was sentenced Jan. 4, to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release. The court found Gonzalez’s actions to be a danger to the community, noting he led law enforcement agents on a 100-mph high speed chase which resulted in a tragic rollover.

HSI Kansas City is a global leader in the fight against human trafficking and has an extensive mission to proactively fight against the trafficking of individuals.

HSI Panama, in coordination with the local TCIU, in addition to HSI Operation Expanded Impact Costa Rica and the Government of Costa Rica, executed 20 arrest warrants and 23 search warrants that resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals, the seizure of several vehicles, and the rescue of 77 migrants, Dec. 13. The individuals rescued were from various countries enroute to the United States, including nationals from Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. The arrests included six employees of the migration service for Panama.

According to court documents, Rosalio Cano Jr., 22, transported an undocumented noncitizen to multiple locations in or around San Antonio over a five-day period. During this time, co-conspirators were in contact with the now-kidnapping victim’s family and repeatedly raised demands for payment.

On Dec. 8, a judge sentenced Onilson Dario Juarez-Mendez, 41, to 188 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Elias Lopez III, a 35-year-old resident of San Benito, Texas, was sentenced Thursday in the Southern District of Texas to 33 months imprisonment to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release for conspiring to transport unlawfully present noncitizens within the United States. Lopez pleaded guilty to the charges July 26.

Rolando Joaquin-Miguel, 35, an undocumented noncitizen from Guatemala, is charged with human smuggling and hostage taking in the District of New Mexico. He is being held without bond pending judicial proceedings in federal court.

Ryan Odell Oliver, 40, of Baltimore, received the lengthy prison sentence Monday, after pleading guilty to trafficking three female victims. Upon completion of his sentence, Oliver will be subject to 15 years of supervised release.

Marcelo Alonso-Almaraz, 32, and Eloisa Almaraz-Vasquez, 35, both undocumented noncitizens from Mexico, are charged with human smuggling and hostage taking. Alonso-Almaraz is also charged with possession of a firearm. Both made an initial appearance in federal court Oct.4, and attended a preliminary and detention hearing today, where they were ordered held without bond pending their judicial proceedings.

On Oct. 26, Warren Evan Jose, 38, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 440 months in prison for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit with endangerment during which death resulted; two counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon; and two counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Gaston Perez, a 40-year-old Brownsville resident, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas, Nov. 1, to transporting unlawfully present noncitizens within the United States.

David William McKeon, 67, of Laredo, was sentenced Nov. 2, to 57 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court repeatedly emphasized McKeon’s actions resulted in endangering over 100 people.

Robert Allen Yost, 61, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sex traffic children and production of child pornography, as well as conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit. Upon release from prison, Yost will be placed on lifetime supervised release with sex offender conditions and will be required to register as a sex offender.

HSI conducted a large-scale enforcement action in Guatemala that led to the execution of 20 arrest warrants and 54 search warrants in Guatemala City, Huehuetenango, and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, Oct. 24-25. HSI Guatemala executed the operation in conjunction with the HSI Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU) and Guatemalan authorities.

Othell Corneilous Brown, 46, from Montalba, Texas, was sentenced Oct. 5 to 41 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that detailed Brown’s prior training as a truck driver and whether it assisted him in the smuggling attempt. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Brown was extremely lucky that nobody was injured or killed during the smuggling attempt as it would have resulted in a much higher sentence.  Brown pleaded guilty June 28.

HSI reported the arrest of Marlon Pitts, aka “Cali”, a resident of Capital Heights, Maryland, on Aug. 11, as well as the arrests of Maurice Monroe, aka “Moeazy”, a resident of Washington, D.C., and Alexander Stevens III, aka “Cas”, a resident of Accokeek, Maryland, on Sept. 7.

Jesus Ochoa, 27, from Laredo, was sentenced Sept. 28 by a federal judge to serve 186 months in federal prison while Luis Armando Garcia, 29, illegally residing in Laredo, was sentenced to 192 months in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations agents in Grand Junction, Colorado were contacted by Deputy Marshals from USMS at five p.m. Sept. 20. They were assisting a Summit County Sheriff’s Office in a parental kidnapping case and needed assistance. There was information the child was being taken to the border of Mexico in violation of a court order.

Emmanuel Oppongagyare, 22, was sentenced Sept. 20 by a federal judge to serve 21 months in federal prison while Ralph Gregory-Saint-Joie, 19, was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences.

Erminia Serrano Piedra aka Irma, and Boss Lady, 31, led the human smuggling operation. Other defendants include Jeremy Dickens, 45; Katie Ann Garcia aka Guera, 39; Kevin Daniel Nuber aka Captain, 41; Laura Nuber aka Barbie, 40; Lloyd Bexley, 51; Oliveria Piedra-Campuzana, 53; and Pedro Hairo Abrigo, 33. All were arrested in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas pursuant to charges previously filed and unsealed in the SDTX.

Ian Esteban Serrano, 27, and Marco Antonio Romero, 22, were sentenced by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to nearly 4 years; a sentence of 37 months was imposed for their role in smuggling undocumented noncitizens into the United States, and a consecutive sentence of eight months was imposed for Serrano’s violation of supervised release from a previous conviction for the same offense in 2016 and Romero’s violation of supervised release from a previous conviction for the same offense in 2019.

The noncitizens consisted of 12 citizens from Mexico, eight from Ecuador, seven from Guatemala, and one each from Honduras and El Salvador. Among the 29, there were 24 men and five women, ranging in age from 18 to 42. All were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol for processing.

Eric Mendiola, a 37-year-old resident of San Benito, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to five years in federal prison for illegally transporting undocumented migrants within the United States.

Axel Elias Ramirez, 19, a U.S. citizen, and Jorge Soto-Ochoa, 34, a Mexican national, were charged with conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens for profit, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.