News Releases and Statements

Rogelio Castaneda, 61, and Jose Ivan Davila, 54, pleaded guilty, Jan. 23, in separate but similar cases.

ERO deportation officers escorted Giovanni Zannoni, 35, who was removed from the United States via a commercial flight. Zannoni was transferred into the custody of Italian law enforcement authorities upon arrival in Milan.

Wenliang Sun, 26, a citizen and national of China, was arrested by HSI Feb. 7, 2018, after his nonimmigrant status was terminated. He had been enrolled as a nonimmigrant F-1 international student in an academic and cultural program at UCF that prepares international students for success at an American university.

The criminal complaint alleges that in July 2017, Manuel Diaz, 64, from Corpus Christi, printed photographs of nude children from a flash drive at a pharmacy. A subsequent forensic examination allegedly resulted in discovering more than 850 pornographic images and videos of children as young as 12 years old.

The indictments were issued by a federal grand jury on April 19 and May 2, 2018, and unsealed Wednesday as arrest warrants were served throughout the metro Denver area, as well as in California and Arizona.

As part of Project iGuardian, HSI special agents in San Juan organized the Internet safety outreach for kids 12 to 16 years old to provide them with the necessary tools to make smart decisions when navigating in the Internet. HSI San Juan made the massive event possible by soliciting the support from Guaynabo Mayor Angel Perez-Otero and his team, as well as the Secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Education, Julia Keleher, who also attended the event Monday.

Joshua E. Poole, 40, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was arrested in Sheridan.  On May 2, 2018, Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal sentenced Poole to 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 60 months of supervised release; he was also ordered to pay $3,500 restitution to the victim, and a $100 special assessment.

Jose Salazar-Aguilar, 33, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah W. Hays to illegally re-entering the United States after having originally been deported following his conviction for an aggravated felony.

ICE returned 3,800 ancient artifacts, including cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, and clay bullae, to the Republic of Iraq. The artifacts were smuggled into the United States in violation of federal law and shipped to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc, a nationwide arts-and-crafts retailer.

Rogelio Vasquez is charged in a 30-count indictment that alleges he acquired old, used and/or discarded integrated circuits from Chinese suppliers that had been repainted and remarked with counterfeit logos.

Slight decrease from May 2017; Stark declines from Saudi Arabia, South Korea

According to the evidence presented at trial, Yaira Cotto-Flores, 28, of San Lorenzo, transported one of her English students March 1, 2016, to a local motel with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct. According to court records, the former teacher and the 14-year old student met at the beginning of the school year and the defendant gave the victim various gifts including an acne treatment kit, a neckband and a wristwatch.

Melissa Sclafani, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year and one day in prison and two years of supervised release. Sclafani pleaded guilty in June, 2017 to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute and to distribute counterfeit steroids and one count of conspiracy to launder money, in the case which was prosecuted by the Office of  United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Omar Adonis Guzman-Martinez, 46, planned and caused others to carry out those crimes while incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, New Jersey (“FCI Fort Dix”), using contraband cellphones to stalk, threaten, and induce others to commit crimes of violence against his victims.

Pedro Alvarez Rodriguez, 36, and Dunieski Santana Moreno, 27, both Florida residents, were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to prison terms of 42 and 40 months, respectively.

Omar Gonzalez-Herrera, 25, from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico was sentenced April 26 by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana to 121 months in prison. Since Gonzalez-Herrera is not a U.S. citizen he is expected to face deportation proceedings after he completes his prison sentence.

The IPR Center not only stands at the forefront of the federal government’s response to counterfeiting, but also epitomizes ICE’s commitment to dedicate resources in the fight against IP crimes,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Derek Benner. “HSI special agents in collaboration with law-enforcement partners and industry representatives will continue to aggressively investigate IP theft and refer cases for prosecution.

Weston Scott Langwell, 26, of Amarillo, faces not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to a lifetime of supervised release. He remains in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 8.

Jose Luis Soto-Lopez, 52, and his daughter, Erica Janine Soto, 27, both residing in Brownsville, Texas, were respectively sentenced to 54 months and 21 months in federal prison for their roles in the alien smuggling scheme that Soto-Lopez led. Soto will also serve two years of supervised release.

Tyler McIntosh, 29, of Belvidere, Illinois, was sentenced in Boone County, Illinois to 56 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, and four counts of child pornography.

HSI Syracuse primarily investigates contraband smuggling, child exploitation and counter proliferation cases. Because of the nexus to the border, the narcotics coming to and from Canada present a unique challenge for HSI Syracuse special agents. High-grade marijuana is often headed southbound, while cocaine is being funneled to the north.

The arrestees include nationals from Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Ukraine.