News Releases and Statements

Edwar Alvarez-Garcia, 29, of El Salvador, illegally entered the United States near Laredo, Texas, in 2001.

Jeremiah Chayse Gardiner, 20, from Mesquite, Texas, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 15 years or more than 30 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for May 20. Gardiner remains in federal custody.

Jack Frison Sr., of Frontenac, Missouri, and the owner of the Frison Flea Market, was sentenced following his Sept. 14, 2014 conviction for: one felony count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, one felony count of aiding and abetting felony copyright infringement, and one felony count of aiding and abetting trafficking counterfeit goods.

David Tung, 72, formerly of Hillsborough, California, and his company, Concord Farms, Inc., are charged in an indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The charges stem from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Speaking at a NFL news conference, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Sarah R. Saldaña, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director of Field Operations William K. Brooks, and NFL Counsel Dolores F. DiBella discussed the results of the initiative, dubbed “Operation Team Player.”

The seized illicit honey that was abandoned or forfeited totals 660 barrels weighing 203,280 kilograms (448,156 lbs.). The containers’ shipping documents indicated the bulk honey originated in Latvia.

Sylvia Grado, 31; and co-defendants Juan Grado, 34, and Carlos Magallanes, 34; all from Deming, New Mexico, were arrested in July 2014 on a seven-count indictment alleging methamphetamine trafficking. All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Luna County, New Mexico, between October 2012 and May 2013.

HSI is a leading agency in the fight against human trafficking and routinely works with federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations, to identify and prosecute human traffickers and rescue their victims.

According to court documents, between June 2013 and July 2014, Jude Thaddeus Danahy, 35, of Buffalo, New York, communicated via email and text messages with an undercover agent that he believed was the mother of an 11-year-old girl. Danahy was arrested July 1, 2014, and pleaded guilty Aug. 27. At sentencing, he was also ordered to forfeit the equipment he had used to commit the offense.

A sentencing date has not yet been set for Kevin Charles Kaszynski, 49, of Fort Myers. According to the plea agreement, while going through boxes that had been stored in a leased storage unit, Kaszynski’s estranged wife found a computer hard drive among other items belonging to her husband.

On Jan. 28, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the guilty plea of Mario Guadalupe Saenz, 27, of McAllen. Judge Crane set sentencing for April 9 in which Saenz could face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison.

Carlos Aragon-Carrillo, 30, and Juan Garcia-Rodriguez, 49, both Mexican citizens illegally residing in Laredo, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. Judge Jack sentenced Aragon-Carrillo to 77 months in federal prison.

With January being set aside for National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, ICE is serious about taking the necessary steps to end the crime. ICE relies on tips from the public to dismantle these individuals and organizations who exploit their victims and encourages education and awareness as part of the process to bring an end to this modern-day form of slavery.

Daniel Mata, 28, of Rio Bravo, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge George Kazen to 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

Oscar J. Aguilar, 38, a Mexican citizen legally residing in Brownsville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, to 168 months in federal prison. Aguilar was further ordered to pay a $1,893,170 money judgment which represented the proceeds of drug smuggling that were laundered in the scheme.

Bardomiano Jungo, 36, was sentenced Jan. 27 by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 121 months in federal prison without parole.

Daniel Huzinec, 23, allegedly shared photographs of male children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on a peer-to-peer website. This conduct included the sexual abuse of male children by adult males and male children engaging in sexual activity with other male children.

Ruben Judas Ruiz-Vazquez, 42, a U.S. permanent resident from Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to 70 months in federal prison. As a convicted criminal alien, Ruiz-Vasquez is also expected to face deportation proceedings. He pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 21.

Kenneth Gaylord Stokes, 70, a U.S. citizen who resided near the city of Cebu in the Philippines, pleaded guilty Jan. 27 before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to five counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.

Alexander Tovar, 26, and Miguel Valentin, 30, of Providence, were each sentenced for their participation in the heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy that ended with the seizure of more than 486 grams of heroin and 462 grams of cocaine.

On March 4, 2014, after a two-day trial in District Court, a jury found Tony Jefferson Browne, 31, guilty of 12 counts of federal child exploitation offenses involving four girls ranging from ages 12 to 17.

Emilio Padilla, 24, of Taumalipas, Mexico, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to 21 months in federal prison.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered James Thomas Lifsey, 59, of Warne, N.C. to serve under court supervision the rest of his life upon release from prison and to register as a sex offender. Lifsey was also ordered to pay $46,057 as restitution to the victims.

Darrin Evan Malley, 36, of Kalispell, Montana, was ordered to serve 120 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. Malley pleaded guilty to the charges in October.

Patty Cordoba, 42, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, and seven others were arrested and each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by obtaining payment after filing false claims for tax refunds, and at least one count of mail fraud.