News Releases and Statements

Robert Brake of Byrnes Mill, Mo., along with his company, Brake Landscaping and Lawncare Inc., were sentenced Thursday in federal court to forfeitures and probation following their visa fraud guilty pleas in June to misdemeanor charges of employing illegal aliens.

A South Carolina man and former captain in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty to charges of importing heroin and possession with the intent to distribute the drug.

The goal of this operation, dubbed "SOAR" (Sex Offender Alien Removal), was to identify, locate and arrest aliens who have convictions for sex crimes, especially sex crimes against children.

As part of U.S. ICE's ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 37 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in the Chicago area.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the theft of two specialized competition bicycles belonging to Olympic Gold Medalist Kristin Armstrong. The bicycles are believed to have been stolen while in transit from Germany to Idaho.

A central Minnesota man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to six years in federal prison for sexually abusing two minor boys. The sentence resulted from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Air Force's Office of Special Investigations.

Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Tuesday deported a man from El Salvador who was wanted for aggravated homicide in his home country.

An eastern Iowa construction company owner, Thomas C. Kehoe, was sentenced in federal court Wednesday on charges of harboring illegal aliens. This sentence resulted from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Timothy Brehmer, 35, of Broadalbin, N.Y., was sentenced earlier today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe.

Joshua Taylor was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison Tuesday for the distribution of child pornography.

It is expected that Anthony Zane Austin, 20, of Childress, Texas, will surrender to federal authorities and appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Clinton Averitte Sept. 20 for his initial appearance.

Ten Mexican nationals and three U.S. citizens made their initial appearances in federal court Monday on drug charges stemming from their alleged role in an effort to smuggle nearly a ton and a half of marijuana into the United States from Mexico onboard a panga that came ashore near San Simeon Thursday morning.

Through its 9/11 exhibit, unveiled earlier this year at the ICE Gallery's opening, the agency pays tribute to the nearly 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives, the countless family members left behind, the staggering number of first responders who selflessly rushed to help, as well as the role that its legacy agencies - U.S. Customs and Immigration and Naturalization Service - played in recovery efforts.

Xiao Cheng Lin, 50, and his wife, Ling Zhen Hu, 51, both of New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiring to import misclassified merchandise. Hu, a native of China, worked for an individual who imported thousands of pairs of sneakers from China that bore the Nike "swoosh" logo and Nike labeling, but were not genuine Nike sneakers.

Four individuals were arrested in Naples, Fla., Aug. 31, for conspiring to commit immigration fraud. The indictment alleges the defendants conspired to sell fraudulent Cuban birth certificates and to assist in the preparation of fraudulent applications for immigration benefits.

Krister Kaj Vilen, 40, of Titusville, Fla., was sentenced to 98 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography. After he completes his prison sentence, he must serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Sokrat Stambolliu, an Albanian national residing in Dedham, Mass., who was wanted in his home country on murder charges, was turned over to Albanian law enforcement authorities this morning at the Tirana International Airport Nene Tereza in Tirana, Albania.

According to the criminal complaint, Charles Lee Gorish, 66, of St. Augustine sent a package, via Federal Express, to an individual in Ontario, Canada. The package contained, among other things, two micro Secure Digital (SD) media cards with numerous images of child pornography.

Inocente Orlando Montano, 70, of Everett, Mass., pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to three counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury. Had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proved that Montano, a citizen of El Salvador, served as an officer in the military of El Salvador for 30 years, including during the period of El Salvador's civil war, from 1979 through 1991.

Monica Leticia Morales de Guzman was arrested Sept. 7 as she arrived at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) from Guatemala en route to Boston, Mass. She is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson Sept. 10.

Yimmy Anthony Pineda Penado, a former clique leader of MS-13 in Maryland, pleaded guilty Monday for his role in a gang-run juvenile prostitution ring.

Steven Mazer of Philadelphia, Pa. was arrested Friday by ICE HSI special agents for producing child pornography. Mazer taught karate at a school in the Bustleton section of Philadelphia, which offers classes to young children.

Steven Donald Lemery was sentenced to 80 years in prison Wednesday by Douglas County Superior Court Judge David. T. Emerson.

An indictment was unsealed Thursday charging four individuals with a cocaine distribution and money laundering conspiracy based in El Paso. These indictments resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Juan Adames, 29, of Ridgefield Park, N.J., pleaded guilty to bulk cash smuggling and other related charges in June 2012. Adames was arrested in August 2010 after failing to declare approximately $153,000 to customs officers in the Dominican Republic.