News Releases and Statements

Benjaman Shelabarger, 36, of Dallas Center, Iowa, was sentenced to 210 months in prison on child pornography conviction. Shelabarger was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

Ioan Leusca, 30, aka Ionel Spinu, and Dezso Gyapias, 29, aka Valentin Folea, were each sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge William J. Martini. In addition to prison time, both men were ordered to serve two years supervised release and to pay $985,000 in restitution.

According to documents filed in the case, Jose Fidencio Perez, 40, of Seagraves, Texas, used a file-sharing program on his computer to download child pornography. During his search, Perez downloaded and viewed numerous videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Aaron Bruno Finn, 57, was arrested in 2012 by Canadian customs officials at the Beaver Creek, Yukon, border crossing on the Alaska Highway for importation of child pornography. According to court documents, Finn transported more than 600 images of child pornography on two laptop computers from the U.S. into Canada.

Sheldon Kennedy, 26, was arrested this week in Miami for his role in selling illegal drugs, false identifications, counterfeit currency, guns and other contraband over the Internet.

Thomas Cramer, 41, was sentenced by US District Court Frank P. Geraci, Jr. and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.

Carl Skow, a Georgia man who attempted to purchase a 14-year-old girl from an undercover federal agent, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for enticing a child to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Pauline Lopez Grijalva, 53, the alleged leader of the smuggling ring, and 11 others were arrested in January by the Native American Targeted Investigations of Violent Enterprises.

Juan Gonzalez, 60, of Palm Bay, must also serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term.

Shiraz Malik, 36, of Warsaw, Poland, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to distribute controlled substances and listed chemicals, conspiring to import controlled substances and ephedrine into the United States, and conspiring to launder money.

Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez, aka 'El Flaco,' 35, formerly of Mexico, was arrested as part of an HSI investigation dubbed Operation Dark Night, which has resulted in the conviction of 23 defendants and the rescue of 12 victims.

According to court records, Francisco Rodriguez, 22, negotiated a deal to sell methamphetamine to an undercover HSI special agent. On Nov. 9, 2012, Rodriguez met with the special agent at a Houston-area business parking lot to complete the transaction.

Walter Brown was sentenced Tuesday to two years and one day in prison, along with 25 hours of community service, for aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to produce fraudulently obtained driver's licenses.

According to the indictment, in October 2013, Miriam Kizzie, 21, and Anthony Pledger, 26, conspired with each other to sex traffic two minors and transport the minors between Massachusetts and Rhode Island to engage in prostitution. In July 2013, Kizzie allegedly trafficked two other minors.

Paul R. Kleinman, 34, of Jersey City and Verona, previously pleaded guilty to the charge Oct. 2, 2013, in U.S. District Court. As part of his guilty plea, Kleinman admitted that from September to October 2012 he used Skype and FaceTime to communicate online with a minor where he coerced the girl into engaging in sexual activity.

Jorge Valadez, 53, was sentenced to four years and four months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge George Kazen. This sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to possessing four videos of child pornography Nov. 13, 2013.

David Herman, 78, of Airmont, N.Y., and St. Croix, was arrested in October 2013 by HSI special agents at the St. Croix airport where he expected to meet the child. He was indicted Tuesday on one felony count of attempting to transport a minor to engage in sexual activity.

After obtaining the ammunition, Garcia-Ugarte left the parking lot and was pulled over by a Laredo Police Department (LPD) patrol officer for a traffic violation. The officer reported Garcia-Ugarte spoke only Spanish and did not possess a driver's license or any identification.

Specialized units from CNP's Directorate for Protection and Special Services (DIPRO), assisted by HSI Bogota agents, arrested Sandra Carabali Valencia on child exploitation charges. She is accused of sexually exploiting two children - ages 3 and 9 - who have since been rescued and placed in a home by Colombia's Child Protective Services.

Sergio Javier Varela-Vallecillo, and his wife, Felicia Inez Varela, were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison time for possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Sergio is a Honduran national who will face removal proceedings following his release from prison.

Harley Michael Peterson, 23, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release after he completes his prison term, during which time he will be required to comply with numerous conditions of release designed to minimize his contact with children and access to the Internet.

Frank Rivera, 32, of New London, is one of more than 100 individuals who have been charged with federal and state offenses as a result of this investigation.

An Egyptian human trafficking victim enslaved as a girl in southern California wrote an autobiography that details her ordeal and subsequent life in the U.S. after being rescued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and the local police department.

Emilio Omar Briones-Aparicio, 32, was escorted to the Lincoln Juarez Port in Laredo, Texas, and turned over to Mexico's Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR).

The investigation into Daniel M. Layne, 33, began in Maine when the mother of a 14-year-old girl discovered a motel key card in her daughter's pants pocket and sexually graphic text messages on her cellphone.