News Releases and Statements

Luis Alonso Soto-Carreon, 50, from Chihuahua, Mexico, was arrested in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, by the ERO's Fugitive Operations Unit in Denver.

Wade H. Dewey, 48, of Syracuse, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on Aug. 2, 2013, he was found at home possessing images and videos depicting child pornography, which he had obtained via the Internet.

On Monday, at a formal ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace, HSI Seoul Attaché Taekuk Cho was presented with the Korean President’s Award for his efforts related to the repatriation of the nine national treasures. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual and the highest award given by the Korean government. Cho is only the fifth non-Korean national to receive this prestigious award in Korean history.

The repatriation ceremony at the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan was conducted by Andrew M. McLees, special agent in charge of HSI Newark; Robert E. Perez, director of CBP New York field operations, and Turkish Consul General Ertan Yalcin.

Julio Cesar Miranda-Minero, 33, of El Salvador, illegally entered the United States near Nogales, Arizona, in 2007.

Madhu Santhanam, 41, of Union City, owner of MAAN Systems, Inc., admitted that, between September 2009 and June 2013, he submitted at least 25 fraudulent I-129 petitions.

James Francis Sampsell, 44, of Odessa, Rusty Eugene Duke, 32, of Dallas, and Steven Worthey, 42, of San Antonio, were sentenced Dec. 9 to serve respective terms of 140, 216 and 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake.

Scott Burns, 45, was charged in a sealed indictment returned Nov. 24, and unsealed Friday upon his arrest at his Alvin home. He appeared Tuesday for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John R. Froeshner.

Bradley Allen Vaine, 28, was previously convicted of receiving and distributing sexually explicit images of children. In addition to 25 years’ incarceration, U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Vaine to a lifetime of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.

HSI executed a state search warrant at The Source II, located on Woodward Avenue, following an investigation that included multiple undercover buys of counterfeit merchandise. Special agents also served a state search warrant at the Southfield residence of the business owner, Cerhue Walker, where he was arrested on charges of trafficking counterfeit goods. A second suspect, Latrice Walker, was arrested at the Detroit store.

HSI special agents arrested Edwin J. Santiago-Rivera, 25, a member of the Puerto Rico National Guard, at his residence in the municipality of Villalba after receiving information from the PRPD Sex Crimes Division in Ponce regarding the alleged transportation by Santiago-Rivera of a 14-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe, with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

Former Illinois State Rep. Keith Farnham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The jury convicted Felix Lopez-Cabrera, 24, Carlos Lopez, 26, and Luis Beltran 26 of charges arising out of their involvement from 2003 through 2012 in the criminal activities of the Bronx Trinitarios Gang (BTG). The BTG is a violent street gang that was involved in drug-trafficking and multiple acts of violence, including attempted murder, in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Yonkers.

Rafferty pleaded guilty July 15, 2014, and in addition to the prison term, the federal judge ordered three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.

Jeffrey Adam Tracy, 38, was found guilty by a jury Oct. 16 of two felony counts of oral copulation of a child 10 years old or younger; four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14; and one felony count of using a minor for sex acts.

Shaun Eric McKinley, 35, was found guilty Sept. 18 of one count of sex trafficking by force and one count of kidnapping.

Colombian authorities arrested a Colombian national linked to the DTO. Additional arrests are anticipated as the investigation is ongoing.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, 52, owner of ERENE Inc., named in a 61-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday in El Paso, is charged with multiple money laundering conspiracy charges. Also named and charged are Jorge Penuelas, 40, ERENE assistant manager, and Manuel Rodriguez, 53, ERENE employee.

Pedro Antiogenes Rosas-Astete, 54, of Peru, illegally entered the United States near Rio Grande City, Texas, in 2005.

Thomas Romeo, 51, of Sacramento, is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of entry of falsely classified goods, and 11 counts of entry of goods by means of a false statement.

So it was no surprise when Brenny, who has been with ICE since 2009, saved the life of a neglected dog in September during “Project Southbound”, a national anti-gang enforcement operation targeting the Surenos criminal street gang in Clearlake, California.

Pablo Alvaro Silos allegedly participated in the murder of a victim who died as a result of gunshot wounds.

Jeffrey Randall Metcalfe, 47, of Turlock, appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. In addition to 30 years’ incarceration, Judge England sentenced the defendant to a lifetime of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Metcalfe previously pleaded guilty to both receiving and distributing child pornography.

Enrique Rogelio Mendez-Solis, aka Rogelio Quero-Mendez, aka Roberto Marquez-Prada, 40, a Mexican national formerly of Seymour, Indiana, was sentenced Dec. 3 to 81 months in prison for his leading role in trafficking the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.

Abdallah Suleiman Kitwara, 44, of Bowie was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to commit wire fraud arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme. Judge George J. Hazel also ordered Kitwara to pay restitution of $290,954 and a fine of $50,000.