News Releases and Statements

Guilty verdicts were returned April 8 against Rudy Alexander Martinez, 36, and Israel Arquimides Martinez, 44, following a two-week jury trial and about six hours of deliberation. Both were convicted of the conspiracy as well as employing illegal aliens, encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to reside in the United States, and conspiracy to do same, as well as aggravated identity theft.

Rafael Barcenas-Padilla, 50, had been hospitalized since March 16 when he was admitted for treatment of possible pneumonia. He was treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit where he received constant monitoring.

Robert Kinney, Jr., 41, of Blaine, Maine was sentenced by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 15 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for his role in sharing numerous images of child pornography. Blaine was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.

Leroy Anthony Williams, 33, was arrested in September 2014 when the victim’s mother called the Auburn Police Department after finding a video of a sexual assault of a child on Williams’ phone.

Firas Majeed and Shatha Abbas are charged with forced labor; trafficking with respect to forced labor; and document servitude.

Ricardo Reid, 30, a resident of Jamaica, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He will be arraigned at a date to be determined.

David L. Maricola, 60, of Southbridge, pleaded guilty to a 32-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, illegally exporting defense articles, making false statements on customs forms, and money laundering.

The graduation was the culmination of nine weeks of training sessions during which the participants experienced a unique, inside look at what HSI agents do on a daily basis, increased their understanding of the laws the agency investigates, and received a basic overview of the organizational and operational structure.

The 16 defendants range in age from 17 to 72 with the youngest victim being only 8 months. All of them are charged under New Jersey’s strict 2013 child pornography statute, which enhanced the penalties for those who possess, distribute or manufacture child pornography.

Aaron “Droopy” Ramos, 31, a resident of the Florence-Graham district of Los Angeles, was sentenced Monday afternoon to 168 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder.

Blake Robert Johnston, 42, of Martinez, was sentenced Tuesday and ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2015, to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. According to the plea agreement, Johnston admitted flying to Oregon for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year-old victim.

Twenty-one brokers, recruiters, and employers were arrested Tuesday from across the United States, who allegedly conspired with more than a thousand foreign nationals to fraudulently maintain student and foreign worker visas through a “pay-to-stay” New Jersey college.

Mongolian patrimony laws prohibit the export of dinosaur fossils, as well as the private ownership of these items. The returned pieces include nearly complete skeletons of Bactrosaurus, Protoceratops and Psittcosaurus, a nest of Protoceratops eggs, and the skulls of an Alioramus and a Psittcosaurus.

Alberto Companioni, 31, and his girlfriend Patricia Perez-Gonzalez, 26, both of Miami, Florida, allegedly stole the identity of victims across the United States resulting in approximately $2 million in fraud.

Kuldip “Kelly” Singh Mahal, 47, of Surrey, British Columbia, was arrested by HSI special agents at a park in Burlington after crossing the border from Canada into the U.S.

Luis Angel Romo, 29, and Fidel Muñoz-Gomez, 35, were turned over to Mexican authorities March 31 at the international boundary on El Paso’s Stanton Bridge Port of Entry.

Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 42, was extradited from Indonesia to stand trial in the District of Columbia.

Wilber Antonio Hernandez-Hernandez, 32, an alleged MS-13 gang member, was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for sexual assault charges. Carlos Ulises Mendoza-Mendoza, 23, was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated homicide. Both departed Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana on an ICE Air Operations charter flight and arrived at San Salvador International Airport in El Salvador where they were transferred to the custody of the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending April 1, 2016

Janko Branko Jankovic, 50, a former resident of Milwaukee, arrived in Sarajevo Wednesday night via commercial aircraft under escort by officers with ICE's ERO; he was turned over to local authorities.

According to court records, Rajinder Singh, 25, formerly of Jackson, Michigan, admitted that in May 2014, he conspired with others to intentionally set fire to his business in order to obtain insurance proceeds.

Leobel Fuentes-Piedras, 22, of Puebla, Mexico, and living illegally in the United States, was sentenced April 1 by U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen to 84 months in federal prison. Judge Kazen also sentenced Fuentes-Piedras to a 15-year-term of supervised release.

Daniel Espino-Alferes, 26, was turned over to Mexican authorities April 1 on the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge at the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.

Dr. Kostic, 59, and Pozdol, 47, both from Chicago, are each charged with one count of knowingly making false statements in a document submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Dr. Kostic is also charged with one count of attempted unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Gilbert Lee Medina, 52, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Helen Gillmor. Medina was convicted by a jury last year of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Medina’s two prior drug felony convictions in California made imposition of the life sentence mandatory. There is no parole under current federal criminal law.