News Releases and Statements

On Wednesday night, following three days of trial and four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Erik A. Hentzen, 26, of the charges.

"Courses like the International Taskforce Agent Training program help strengthen the relationships we share with law enforcement agencies around the world," said Eddie Agrait, ICE deputy assistant director for the Western Hemisphere. "These relationships are critical as we continue the fight against the transnational criminal organizations who recognize no national boundaries when it conducting their crimes."

Hai Dong Jiang, aka Jimmy, aka Dong, 37, of Staten Island, New York, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit.

HSI special agents and officers with the Michigan State Police and Battle Creek Police Department arrested John Baylo, 35, Friday, without incident on state charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Baylo is an on-air personality at Gaylord's Family Christian Radio station, WCSG.

Jose Raul Ramirez Grande, aka Pecos, 35, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General's Office in Tijuana. An arrest warrant issued in 2006 by authorities in Tijuana's judicial district accuses Ramirez of rape and aggravated sexual abuse against a minor involving three victims.

Aldo Contreras-Liberati, 46, left the country via an ICE Air Operations flight, departing from Louisiana.

Norman Cipriano, 41, of Warwick, was sentenced for trafficking more than 14,500 counterfeit sports jerseys, clothing accessories and health and beauty products valued at more than $1 million. An amount of restitution to be paid by the defendant to various companies impacted in this matter will be determined at a later date. Cipriano pleaded guilty Aug. 5, 2013, to trafficking in counterfeit goods and services.

Alex Gonzalez-Arango, 39, of Buenaventura, Colombia, pleaded guilty March 11, 2014. "This case exemplifies the strong relationship between federal agencies in the central Florida region, working together to increase the safety of our citizens," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

Pichoch Herrera-Ortega, aka "Pedro Ortega-Rondon," aka "Pedro Rondon-Silvestre," aka "Jose Rivera," aka "Omar Rivera," aka "Omar Acevado," 35, of Philadelphia, was originally removed from the country in December 2011. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

During the course of the arrests, law enforcement also discovered and seized about 400 pounds of marijuana and thousands of dollars in U.S. currency, as well as several utility trailers, tractors, vehicles and firearms.

Zeng Wei, 51, a major shareholder and director of United Win Holdings Limited, was arrested Jan. 27 by HSI special agents. Zeng later waived his right for the extradition proceedings in the United States and agreed to surrender himself to Hong Kong voluntarily.

June 20 was an awful day. In a robbery gone awry, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent was stabbed to death in a taxi in Bogota, Colombia.

HSI's Rapid Response Team (RRT) joined the multiagency effort at the request of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) Search and Rescue Team. HSI's RRT has trained alongside and collaborated closely with LASD rescue personnel in the past.

Phillip Amisano-Camillo, 43, a resident of Canada, was sentenced on a single count of enticing a minor for sexual purposes.

Juan Carlos Tellar-Mendoza, 27, of Scranton, who was originally removed from the country in 2004, faces two years in prison if convicted.

Following the execution of a state search warrant at his "Get In Tha Game" store, Gregory Williamson, 50, was taken into custody by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and investigators from the San Bernardino County District Attorney's (SBDA) Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

The manufacture of synthetic drugs is a recent development designed to circumvent traditional drug laws. This is done by creating new chemical compounds that mimic the effects of drugs like marijuana and cocaine but purport to avoid the classification of a controlled substance because of a chemical alteration. Synthetic drugs are most frequently marketed as legitimate products and sold in typical commercial outlets such as convenience stores and gas stations.

Investigators at the HSI Cyber Crimes Center say that these shocking statistics are a reminder about how dangerous the Internet can be and that summer is a good time for parents to talk to their children about online safety. "Summer vacation is a time when children and teens often have more access to the Internet, making this a good time to talk about how to stay safe online," said Patrick Redling, unit chief of the center's child exploitation investigations unit.

Rafael Sanchez, 50, formerly of Hazleton, was arrested in January. According to court documents, from 2011 to 2014, Sanchez used the identities of unknowing third parties to prepare and file fraudulent federal income tax returns.

Antonio Figueroa-Zamora, 29, who was living in Stroudsburg, was originally removed from the country in December 2010. He faces two years in prison if convicted.

Luigi Coppola, 46, who was living in Chambersburg, was originally removed from the country in December 2007. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Maksym Shynkarenko, 35, of Kharkov, Ukraine, operated the website between 2005 and 2008. Shynkarenko was initially detained in Thailand in January 2009 pending extradition. He was transported to the United States and has been in federal custody since making his initial court appearance in June 2012. Shynkarenko previously pleaded guilty to the charge in January in Newark federal court.

Joseph L. Bryer, 53, of Grove City, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak.

Pablo Christian Larumbe Rojas, 34, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General's Office. A warrant issued by authorities in Mexico City accuses Larumbe of murder and kidnapping in connection with the September 2010 disappearance of Carlos Palomares Maldonado, who purportedly owed the suspect's criminal confederates roughly $3,000.