News Releases and Statements

Jorge Moreno-Aguilar, 24, was the fifth defendant arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the course of a major counter-gang operation known as Broken Silence to be sentenced to life in prison. Ten additional gang members apprehended by the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations component during the same Maryland-area effort have pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 7-30 years in prison.

The three owners of La Espiga De Oro (Espiga) — Alfredo Sosa Lira, 72, his wife Lydia Botello-Lira, 68, their daughter Lydia Lira, 25 — and night manager Roberto Guerra, 45, all of Houston, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violations associated with their continued employment of illegal aliens between October 2011 and August 2015.

Eleno Quinteros Jr., 45, of Chula Vista, admitted he falsely certified he had received no payments from the mechanics, when in fact he had illegally demanded and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars of fees from approximately 85 of them. 

The defendants were members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), the Aryan Circle, the “Irish Mob,” the “Dirty White Boys,” the “White Knights,” and the “Peckerwood” – all of which are violent white supremacist gangs.  Each of these gangs is an organized crime group, but in recent years, the white supremacy ideology of each of these groups has taken a backseat to traditional criminal ventures, such as drug-dealing. The defendants in this case included several high-ranking members of these organizations.

Kirk Castor, 37, of Kirtland, New Mexico, was one of eight San Juan County residents charged with federal narcotics trafficking offenses as the result of a multi-agency investigation into methamphetamine trafficking on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northwestern New Mexico.

Jaime Gerardo Gonzalez, 26, from Laredo, Texas, pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to receiving child pornography. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted his guilty plea and set sentencing for Dec. 6.  Gonzalez faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison, as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Jesus Manuel Ramirez, 32, from Pharr, Texas, was sentenced Aug. 8 by U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to 240 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard from some of the victims who noted that not even illegal aliens should have to endure what they went through.

In the course of Operation SOAR, ERO officers apprehended 32 individuals with past criminal convictions ranging from sexual abuse to attempted rape. Of those arrested, 12 are registered sexual offenders. Each taken into custody is currently being detained pending the completion of removal proceedings.

Brandi Leonard, 20, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced last week by to 20 years in federal prison for producing child pornography while sexually abusing an infant.

As special agent in charge, Francis, a 20-year veteran of federal law enforcement, supervises a cadre of special agents located across Michigan and Ohio.

Alexander Fiodor Levin, 50, from Canada, entered a guilty plea Aug. 4 before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Judge Marmolejo has set his sentencing for Nov. 27. Levin faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Carlos Chavez, 34, has been a fugitive since March 2003 when a superior court judge in Fulton County, Georgia, issued a warrant for Chavez’s arrest. Chavez is accused of shooting and killing Francisco Chavez (no relation) with a handgun.

HSI special agents arrested Jaime Emmanuel Cano-Olmeda, 27, of Toa Baja, following an investigation that stemmed from a forensic analysis of a smartphone seized during the execution of a state search warrant in the residence of a New Jersey man on Jan. 13. A search of the device revealed the presence of a chat between the owner of the telephone and a man later identified as Cano-Olmeda.

To qualify for IMAGE certification, partners agree to conduct a self-assessment of their hiring practices to uncover vulnerabilities that could be exploited by unauthorized workers; enroll in E-verify, an employment eligibility verification program; train staff on IMAGE Best Employment Practices and the use of new screening tools; and undergo a Form I-9 audit by ICE.

The day-long event, hosted by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in close collaboration with special agents from HSI’s San Diego office, began with a traditional tribal opening ceremony led by Cody J. Martinez, chairman of the Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nation. Symposium organizers believe the session is a crucial step toward developing longstanding partnerships that will serve to broaden protections for cultural artifacts on tribal and public lands in San Diego and Imperial counties.

ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. However, as ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan has made clear, ICE does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.

Peter Zuccarelli, from Plano, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle and illegally export from the U.S., radiation-hardened integrated circuits (RHICs) for use in the space programs of China and Russia, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Those arrested Thursday include Minas Matosyan, an Encino man also known as “Maserati Mike,” who is charged with leading the scheme and controlling six of the sham clinics. Matosyan allegedly hired corrupt doctors who allowed the conspirators to issue fraudulent prescriptions under their names in exchange for kickbacks.

Curtis Audun Larssen, 33, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge S. James Otero to 210 months in prison. Larssen pleaded guilty in June 2017 to one count of using the internet to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. Once he completes his prison sentence, Larssen will be on supervised release for the rest of his life.

Paula Anthony, 65, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes. She was indicted by a grand jury in January 2016 on one count of conspiracy to defraud, five counts of mail fraud, five counts of identity theft, and a second conspiracy charge involving money laundering.

Of the 650 arrested nationwide July 23 to 26, 73 were members of family units and 120 entered the country illegally as UACs. An additional 457 others encountered during this operation were also arrested.

Manual Alfredo Mancillas, 23, from Seattle, Washington, was sentenced Aug. 1 by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to serve 84 months in prison to be followed by three years supervised release. Mancillas pleaded guilty to the charge April 4, 2017.

Dina Maria Palacios, 37, was sentenced Aug. 1 by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to serve 87 months’ in prison to be followed by three years supervised release. Before Judge Alvarez announced the sentence, she took into consideration Palacios’ conduct as well as the fact that she had her 16-year-old daughter with her during the crime.