News Releases and Statements

HSI special agents arrested Denis Victor Courchesne, 45, of Canada, at the Luis Muniz International Airport when he arrived in San Juan from Panama City, Panama and CBP officers found child pornography in some of the electronic equipment he carried during a routine inspection.

Makyl Haggerty, aka “Wave” and “G5,” 24, of Oakland, California, admitted in his plea agreement that in December 2009 he became associated with the Carder.su organization.

HSI special agents arrested Israel Berrios-Berrios May 13 at his residence in Naranjito following an indictment that charged him with transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

Mohamad Yousef Tellawi, 34, of Falls Church, was sentenced to 22 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in the immigration document fraud conspiracy.

Mauricio Florian-Polanco faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 12.

Samuel Garcia-Adarme, Edrick Garcia-Vazquez, Armando Garcia-Vazquez, Carlos Minguela and PRP Trading Corp., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Francisco Besosa after reaching a plea agreement. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Thirty eight people were charged Aug. 22 for their role in a large-scale auto insurance fraud ring that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

Tempest Amerson, 24, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Rosland Starks, 45, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Sadith Chavez-Perez, 23, was arrested in May 2013 in Ely, Nevada, while transporting a methamphetamine load to Idaho. In the vehicle officers found more than 1,300 grams of actual methamphetamine. She pleaded guilty to the charge in May of this year.

Ecotex is the fourth employer in New Mexico to become a full IMAGE partner. There are more than 250 IMAGE partners throughout the United States.

Lelo Sandoval, 47, of Jalapa, Guatemala, and Cesar Duran, 55, of Chicago, were indicted on four counts of conspiracy to import and distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and at least five kilograms of cocaine. Sandoval and Duran each face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

HSI uses its financial investigations to beat criminals at their trade. By following money trails, HSI can identify and dismantle international criminal networks – ultimately seizing their proceeds and related assets.

Three illegal aliens were charged Wednesday with federal criminal charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Philadelphia.

Ruben A. Vazquez, 40, of Del Rio, was sentenced Aug. 20 before U.S District Judge Alia Moses, who ordered him to serve 120 months in federal prison, pay a $ 5,000 fine and be placed under supervised release for ten years after completing his prison term.

The following defendants from Mexico received individual sentences that included hostage taking: Andres Perez-Moshan, 37, 264 months in prison, Humberto Alvarez-Cheo, 25, 120 months in prison, Roberto Salinas-Martinez, 29, 120 months in prison and Euclides Moreno-Dominguez, 34, 204 months in prison.

"This training helps reinforce the broader law enforcement efforts of HSI and its Brazilian partners to combat transnational human trafficking and financial-related crimes," said Bassett. "By shutting down money laundering operations criminal and terrorist organizations use to move their funds, we can make significant dents in their ability to commit future crimes."

On Feb. 3, Thomas Andrew Taylor, 53, of Grifton, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. On March 26, he pleaded guilty to that charge.

"Today's signing is a reflection of the great bilateral relationship we have with the government of Honduras," said PDAS Winkowski. "Sharing criminal history information better equips both countries to protect its citizens."

HSI and CBP discovered two acres of marijuana plants Aug. 7 hidden in a grow field just 10 minutes away from Raymondville. After two days of hand picking the plants, agents reported a total seizure of 11,500 plants.

"Greed is a prime motivator that drives transnational crimes," said Nathan Emery, HSI resident agent in charge who administrates the HSI Columbus BCSTF. "Our task force is working every day to dry up the criminals' cash supply and cut off pipelines that support criminal activity."

Balakrishnan Patwardhan, 54, pleaded guilty in March to 19 counts of visa fraud as originally charged in an indictment handed down last year.

Flavio Camacho Hernandez, 39, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General's Office at the San Ysidro port of entry. Camacho is charged with first degree murder in an arrest warrant issued in July 2004 in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Aug. 15, 2014

"With this certification, Arizona Labor Force makes a strong statement in supporting federal hiring laws," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona. "When a large staffing company makes a proactive commitment to ensure they provide their customers with a lawful work force, it is not only good for those customers, but benefits the community as a whole."