News Releases and Statements

A four-count superseding indictment was unsealed Tuesday charging 11 defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and smuggle chemicals from China, substantive smuggling charges, and a money laundering conspiracy charge. The sealed superseding indictment was filed June 9.

Pedro "Pete" Benevides, 44, of Astatula, also agreed to forfeit $44,059,565, including several bank accounts holding approximately $40 million in cash, and three exotic sports cars: a 2008 Lamborghini Murcielago; a 2009 Audi R8; and a 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo. Benevides also agreed to pay full restitution to the financial institutions that were the victims of his offense.

If convicted, Javier Guerrero Molina, 33, citizen of Mexico, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life in federal prison. Molina was arrested May 30 at the Jacksonville International Airport and has been in custody on related state charges since that time.

Robert Harold Scott Jr., 27, faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he is sentenced Nov. 12.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending July 11, 2014

Santiago Sierra-Sanchez was taken to the hospital early Saturday morning after Utah County Jail officials found him unresponsive in the jail's medical unit. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital where he was declared dead by doctors at approximately 4:20 a.m. The official cause of death will be determined by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.

Ronald Charles Waters, 65, of Lake City, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. Waters faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. Waters was arrested Nov. 20, 2013, in Lake City and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since that time.

Brian Shaw, 23, of Lutherville, was also ordered serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

ConnectZone.com, LLC, of Lynnwood, was sentenced to five years' organizational probation. Its owner, Daniel Oberholtzer, will serve 37 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones also ordered the forfeiture the proceeds from the counterfeit sales amounting to nearly $717,000.

Steven Mazer, 27, of Philadelphia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jan E. DuBois. Mazer was a teacher at a karate school offering classes to children in the Bustleton section of Philadelphia. He pleaded guilty June 24, 2013 to two counts of production of child pornography.

Maury Croussett-Garcia, 22, was convicted in July 2013 of felony aggravated assault in Pennsylvania in 2010. According to the criminal complaint, he struck a man in the head with a bottle causing bleeding to the brain.

Vaiaoga Leatuvao, 37, was located in the Seattle area by special agents with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after the Samoan government notified U.S. authorities about the allegations against him. According to a July 2013 arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court of Samoa, Leatuvao is charged with child rape. Samoan prosecutors allege Leatuvao raped four female students at a school for disabled children where he worked as a teacher.

Dmitry Ustinov, 48, of Moscow, pleaded guilty in the District of Delaware federal court to conspiring to export the high-tech military technology, in violation of federal law.

The repatriation ceremony was conducted by James T. Hayes, special agent in charge of HSI New York; Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; and Od Och, ambassador, permanent representative of Mongolia to the United Nations.

Andrew McMahon, 37, was sentenced July 10 by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O'Connor to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. McMahon pleaded guilty to an information charging one count of transporting child pornography; he has been in custody since his guilty plea.

Robert Eoff, 31, admitted that he knowingly entered into a conspiracy with three other co-conspirators to conduct financial transactions in connection with a spice manufacturing and distribution business beginning in March 2011, according to court records.

Devon Campbell, aka Wilmott Alvin Livingston, left Jamaica in November 2007 and entered the United States using a Jamaican passport bearing the fabricated name Wilmott Alvin Livingston and a false date of birth.

Maximiliano Moreno Contreras, 37, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office in Tijuana. An arrest warrant issued by authorities in Mexicali’s judicial district accuses Moreno of the April 16, 2001, stabbing death of a local man.

Gregory John Schaffer, 34, was convicted of enticement to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, attempted enticement to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

David Aguilar-Araiza, 22, was charged in a one-count indictment. He was originally arrested and removed from the country in April 2012. He faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Jose De La Cruz Ajqui, 27, a citizen of Guatemala last residing in Willimantic, was identified by ICE's Secure Communities program despite his use of a false identity after being arrested by Willimantic police. Once removability was established ERO officers lodged a detainer May 7, 2013.

Mei Ya Zhang, 29, of Waterville, was sentenced by Chief Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. for harboring undocumented aliens, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to file false employer's quarterly federal tax returns. In addition to imprisonment, Zhang was also ordered to pay more than $88,000 in restitution to the IRS. Zhang pleaded guilty to the charges June 5, 2013.

Devin Spencer Williams, 19, of Blackshear, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography in January 2014. He was also ordered by United States District Court Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to register as a sex offender upon his release.

"This guy had more quotes than Shakespeare," said John Malandra, retired group supervisor with ICE's HSI. But instead of poetic verses, a man using the alias of Alex Dave wanted quotes for how much it would cost to buy sensitive military technologies. In reality, Alex Dave was Amir Ardebili, an Iranian arms dealer.

Marcos Martinez-Gutierrez, 43, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Norwalk, was identified by ICE's Secure Communities program after being arrested by Norwalk police. Once removability was established ERO officers lodged a detainer March 2, 2013.