News Releases and Statements

Alexandre Astakhov, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced May 13. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison.

An Antelope Valley landscaper, Robert Dale Schrader, is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday following his arrest on federal child pornography charges for allegedly generating sexually explicit images of a 3-month-old infant and emailing them to an undercover investigator in England.

Kenneth Robert McVicker III, a former Maryland resident who moved to Ecuador where he sexually abused young boys and produced child pornography, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison.

Jose Aguilar-Lucas was turned over to Mexican federal police at the Nogales port of entry Friday by officers with ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Fake jerseys, ball caps, t-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs are among the counterfeit merchandise and clothing confiscated by teams of special agents and officers from ICE's HSI, CBP, USPIS and state and local police departments around the country - all in partnership with the NFL and other major sports leagues.

Christopher Gary Carlson, 40, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in November 2013. According to court records, Wenatchee police received several reports last April of an individual using the username "warlock666" trading images of child sex abuse over the Internet.

Jose Samir Renteria-Cuero, aka Jose Morfi, 51, faces between 10 years and life in prison. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Petr Murmylyuk, a Russian national living in New York, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to hack into retail brokerage accounts and execute sham trades, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Murmylyuk was also ordered pay more than $505,000 in restitution.

Darrell Hughes, 55, of Muncie, was charged Jan. 31 in a criminal complaint with one count of sexually exploiting a minor and two counts of attempting to sexually exploit a minor.

A New Mexico fast-food chain, Blake's Lotaburger, joined ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Friday in a nationwide program that helps employers strengthen hiring practices, and prevents the unlawful employment of unauthorized workers.

Twenty convicted criminals illegally present in the United States were arrested during a two-day targeted enforcement operation in the Madison area by officers with ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Nicholas Todd Freed, 39, was arrested this week by a task force officer assigned to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), after it was discovered Freed was claiming packages containing anabolic steroids from a postal center in Dallas.

On April 3, HSI special agents arrested Felix Pagan-Crispin. According to court records, he produced sexually explicit images of minors. His arrest was part of an HSI San Juan initiative and anti-child exploitation campaign dubbed Broken Silence that ran from February through April 2013 and netted 10 arrests during the nine-week period.

Premier Paving Inc. (PPI) was charged by misdemeanor Information Aug. 21. An executive, Russ Otterstein, on behalf of the corporation, signed an agreement Oct. 9 where the company pleaded guilty to unlawfully hiring illegal aliens.

According to the criminal complaint, from approximately April 2009 through June 2012, Kevin Charles Kaszynski, 48, possessed child pornography. While going through boxes at a leased storage unit, his wife uncovered a computer hard drive, along with other items belonging to her husband.

Following an undercover investigation, James M. Bolin and his son, James P. Bolin, were charged with multiple offenses relating to misbranding and trafficking drugs. James M. Bolin was also charged with money laundering.

Antonio Silva-Menesis, 35, who was residing in Eau Claire, Wis., was sentenced Jan. 29 by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb, Western District of Wisconsin, for illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported.

Richard J. Simone Jr., 23, of Acworth, Ga., is charged with one count of traveling across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. Simone was initially arrested in September.

Steven Metz, a former supervisor with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York, was sentenced to five years in federal prison Wednesday for possession of approximately 3,000 images and 70 videos of child pornography on his computer at his residence in Hamburg.

Christopher Blackwell, 34, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in July 2011, fled to Greece while he was awaiting sentencing. He was recently apprehended and extradited to the U.S.

A Guatemalan citizen, Pedro Pablo-Solis, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to two years in prison in connection to a conspiracy to provide false identity documents to more than 100 illegal aliens.

Federal officials teamed with the National Football League (NFL) Thursday to announce the record-breaking results of a nationwide law enforcement effort aimed at combatting counterfeit sports merchandise.

According to court documents, two employment referral businesses operating out of Houston recruited illegal aliens, mostly from Mexico and Central America, to work in Chinese restaurants. These workers routinely worked 12 hours per day, six days per week.

Jorge L. Gamez Nieto, 30, who resided in Fort Atkinson, Wis., was charged Jan. 29 with illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony.