News Releases and Statements

Gabriel Rivero, 41, appeared in federal court Tuesday before U.S. Senior District Judge Frank R. Zapata. At the sentencing, Judge Zapata ordered that Rivero will be subject to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

David Krowner, 42, from Estancia, New Mexico, will be sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court, according to the terms of the plea agreement.

Johnathan E. Dawkins, 22, of San Diego, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Raner C. Collins, who also ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender and be subject to a lifetime of supervised release.

Sergio Magana, Jr., 26, of Pasco, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography and five years in prison for receiving child pornography. The terms are to be served concurrently.

In the course of normal targeted enforcement activities, ERO officers apprehended eight individuals with past criminal convictions ranging from sexual abuse to attempted rape.  Each was taken into custody and is currently being detained pending the completion of removal proceedings.

Consistent with agency protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been advised of the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. 

Khalid Adem, 41, a native and citizen of Ethiopia was convicted in Gwinnett Country, Georgia, of aggravated battery and cruelty to children in the first degree on Nov. 1, 2006, and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

A total of 248 foreign nationals were arrested over the last two weeks in the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at criminal aliens, immigration fugitives, re-entrants and other immigration violators.

According to court documents, Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury, 65, a citizen and national of Bangladesh, first arrived in the United States unlawfully in 1993. After arriving in the U.S., he applied for asylum using a fraudulent name and date of birth, along with presenting a forged document to the Immigration Judge.

Of those arrested during the enforcement action, which concluded Friday, 55 had criminal histories, including prior convictions for sex crimes, drug offenses, and domestic violence.

Nathan Piturachsatit, 38, who formerly served as vice principal of Lake Roosevelt Elementary School, pleaded guilty Nov. 29, 2016. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. In addition to the prison term, Judge Mendoza ordered that Piturachsatit be subject to 10 years of court supervision and register as a sex offender following his release from custody.

Arnaldo Echevarria, 39, a former ICE deportation officer, was convicted following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court. The jury deliberated for one day before returning the guilty verdict.

Jose Mercedes Meza-Ignacio, 52, a citizen of Mexico residing in Atlanta, was arrested at his residence March 9 as a result of an active child molestation arrest warrant by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

ICE filed the detainer on July 12, 2016, on Denner Dos Santos, 22, a Brazilian national, soon after Burlington County released him from custody.

The gently curving coastline of California runs along the Pacific Ocean in a smooth arc except for a piece of land that juts out in a triangle pattern. That piece of coast is the location of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Santa Maria, California office.

Francisco Javier Soledad, 24, was arrested by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Soledad is expected to make his initial appearance Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court.

Michael Pierce, 60, of Lake Orion, Michigan, pleaded guilty last fall to three counts of production of child pornography. In March 2016, authorities served a search warrant at Pierce’s residence, seizing his computer and digital storage devices, which were found to contain at least 100 photographs and approximately 30 videos depicting child pornography.

Miguel Arcef-Flores, 42, received a 40-month prison term; his brother-in-law, Angel Sandoval Mondragon, 37, was sentenced to 36 months in prison; and Arcef-Flores’ wife, Marabella Sandoval Mondragon, 38, was sentenced to 34 months in prison.

Eleno Quinteros, 45, of Chula Vista, allegedly assisted recruits with obtaining work visas to come to the U.S., and helped many of them pursue legal permanent residency in return for thousands of dollars apiece.

Jayro Haro-Lopez, 34, a Mexican national unlawfully in the United States, and his brother Hernan Haro-Lopez, 28, of Phoenix, were taken into custody on state charges of possessing dangerous drugs with the intent to distribute, resisting arrest and unlawful flight from law enforcement.

Anthony Michael Scotti, 21, received the 168-month sentence Monday from U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez.

Anderson Hickman, 33, was lawfully admitted to the U.S. in November 2015 on a temporary visa, which was later revoked.