News Releases and Statements

Martin Perez, 37, from Mercedes, Texas, was sentenced April 4 by Senior U.S. District Judge Janice Graham Jack to 262 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Biyu Situ, 48, owned and operated the Blue Angel massage parlor, which served as a front for prostitution activity. According to evidence introduced in court, Situ offered an HSI special agent $5,000 to protect the facility - including giving advance notice about any enforcement actions by authorities.

The majority of those arrested — 52 of the 75 — had criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: aggravated assault, assault, burglary of a vehicle, child abuse by injury, dangerous drugs, delivery of cocaine, fraud, driving under the influence (DUI), drug trafficking, felony marijuana possession, illegal entry, larceny, possession of a controlled substance, and reckless conduct with a firearm. Twenty four of those arrested had DUI convictions.

Paul S. Rodriguez Jr., 48, was the CEO of Action Packing and Design Inc. in Santa Ana, California. Between July 2015 and December 2016, Rodriguez intentionally trafficked in counterfeit labels and packaging by manufacturing, then shipping to Houston, counterfeit and trademarked Frontline, Frontline Plus and Merial veterinary product labels and packaging.

A Los Angeles-area dentist pleaded guilty Monday to possession of child pornography, including sexually explicit videos of children under age 10, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The operation began March 20 and ended March 31. ERO officers made arrests in the following San Antonio Field Office cities:  Austin/Waco (24), San Antonio (62), Laredo (29) and Harlingen (38). Of those arrested, 138 were men; 15 were women.

When he is not working on his ERO field operations team, Szwed and his beloved German shepherd, Nitro, are volunteers for the Erie County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Paws for Love program in Buffalo, New York.

On Feb. 15, 2017, ERO Newark officers arrested Jose Chamale-Campos, a Guatemalan citizen, in Magnolia, New Jersey. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

The conviction of Tim Minh Tran, 44, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, stemmed from his role in leading an organization responsible for smuggling more than 200 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids into the United States from China.

Rudy Alexander Martinez, 36, and Israel Arquimides Martinez, 44, were convicted by a federal jury April 8, 2016, following a two-week trial and after about six hours of deliberation.  Both were convicted of conspiracy to employ and employing illegal aliens, encouraging and inducing illegal aliens to enter and reside in the United States, and conspiracy to do same; they were also convicted of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence added to any other sentence imposed. Also sentenced March 31 was Ceasar Santiago Arroyo, 51, of Houston, who pleaded guilty to the conspiracy.

HSI Special Agent Brett Bangas, who has been with HSI for 13 years, was honored for his efforts in February 2017, which led to the arrest of the suspected driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that tragically claimed the life a Cleveland Police officer.

Mark Stutheit, 59, who was a teacher at Reinhardt Elementary School in Dallas at the time of the offense has been in custody since his arrest in June 2016.  He pleaded guilty in October 2016 to one count of receiving a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Sylvain Desjardins, 47, and David Ayotte, 46, both from the Quebec area, had initial appearances in federal court in Columbus on charges of possession with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Of those arrested during the enforcement action, 60 had criminal histories, including prior convictions for sex crimes, drug offenses, and domestic violence.

On March 23, 2017, members of the Reading Police Vice Unit, Berks County DA Drug Task Force, and HSI simultaneously served nine search warrants on six homes, one garage and two storage units throughout Berks County. 

Among those arrested Wednesday are Giovanny Ochoa, also known as “Sporty” and “Speedy,” 26, of Hawthorne, and Aveline Villalba, also known as “Gordo” and “Fatboy,” 36, of South Los Angeles, who are charged with selling approximately one-quarter pound of methamphetamine in the fall of 2016 to an undercover agent.

Bryan DeWain Splawn, 47, from Hondo, Texas was sentenced March 27 by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses who ordered Splawnl to serve 188 months in prison.

Moser began her career with INS as a deportation enforcement officer in December 1997. Since then, she has worked as a deportation officer, field office juvenile coordinator, victim witness coordinator, fugitive operations officer and with the Alternatives to Detention program, all in the San Francisco Field Office.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Camille L. Vélez-Rivé authorized a complaint charging Wilson Cuevas-Alcántara, Evelio Rivera-Jiménez, Tairo Martínez-De Rosario and Juan C. Rodríguez with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of cocaine.

Marc Merwin Snyder, 64, formerly of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy, three counts of smuggling of misbranded drugs, one count of receipt and delivery of misbranded drugs, four counts of misbranding by dispensing prescription drugs without a valid prescription, four counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.

Eduardo Hinojosa, aka “Lalo,” 49, a U.S. citizen residing in Piedra Negras, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alia Moses March 28 to 78 months in federal prison. Judge Moses also ordered Hinojosa to pay a $3,000 fine and to be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after he completes his prison term.

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

Barry Davis, 38, pleaded guilty to three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and three counts of interstate transportation with intent to engage in prostitution. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2017.