News Releases and Statements

Zoulin “Allen” Cai, 30, of La Puente, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered the defendant to pay $9,227,543 in restitution and a $25,000 fine.

Anthony Brown, 57, of Lakewood, was arrested Wednesday morning by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles. At his arraignment in U.S. District Court Wednesday afternoon, Brown pleaded not guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Francisco Alberto Sanchez-Romero, 27, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, pleaded guilty April 21 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. HSI Nogales special agents arrested him March 13, 2020.

Bowen Hu, 26, of Hacienda Heights, and Tairan Shi, 27, of Diamond Bar, both Chinese nationals, were taken into custody today and are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Mohamad Milon Hossain, 41, was sentenced Sept. 28 in federal court to 46 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty March 5.

Andranik Amiryan, 42, was sentenced late Thursday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who also ordered him to pay $650,600 in restitution. Amiryan pleaded guilty on April 28 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

The “Gilgamesh Dream Tablet,” originated in what is now modern-day Iraq and entered the United States in violation of federal law. An international auction house (the “Auction House”) later sold the tablet to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (“Hobby Lobby”), an arts-and-crafts retailer based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for display at the Museum of the Bible.

However, the Brazilian national had already fled the United States for Brazil by crossing into Mexico on foot and requesting an emergency travel document from the Brazilian embassy in Mexico. A Brazilian national cannot be extradited under the Brazilian Constitution, indicating the suspect fled to avoid arrest and prosecution by American authorities.

Tourism is a huge industry in Scottsdale. Special events attract millions of visitors every year. Unfortunately, bad actors are also drawn to popular destinations to traffic victims. Combating the issue requires the involvement of the entire community, which is why the City of Scottsdale is working with HSI and their partners to offer this training to all employees.

Seven men face felony charges following an undercover operation aimed at addressing human trafficking in Middle Tennessee.

The fentanyl, with an estimated street value of $110,000, was seized during the execution of a state search warrant at the home of an individual suspected of selling large amounts of the illegal narcotic. An additional unknown white powder, a weapon and cash were also seized during the search.

Miguel Baez Guevara, 38, a United States citizen living in Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 17 counts related to his leadership role in trafficking narcotics directly from Mexico to Alaska.

Court records show that from Aug. 2020 through Nov. 2020, Andrew J. Kerr, 32, of Corbin, Kentucky, recorded multiple videos of himself engaging in sexual acts with a minor victim.

According to the plea agreement, Daniel Logan Brown, 24, admitted to advertising child pornography by circulating hyperlinks to online data storage accounts containing thousands of files of child pornography for others to download.

As the result of a probe by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles, Billy Edward Frederick, 51, of Redondo Beach, pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with production of child pornography for transportation into the United States and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The daughter, Jacqueline Hernandez, 19, of Cilpancingo, Mexico, also a U.S. citizen, reached out to her mother through social media in June 2021 and the mother and daughter arranged to meet on Sept. 10, 2021, in Laredo.

Lieutenant Commander Ronald W. Zenga, 45, of Middletown, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty on November 19, 2020, to coercion of a minor, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

Joseph Winslow, 54, from Fort Meade, Florida, also was ordered to serve three years supervised release after completing his sentence. Winslow pleaded guilty March 5.

According to allegations in court documents, from about March 2018 until about September 2019, Norbert Ozemena Ikwuegbundo, 28, and Omniyi Jonathan Omotere, 35, both citizens of Nigeria, and others, engaged in the fraudulent scheme.

Yun Zheng, a.k.a. Wendy, 50, and Yan Qui Wu, a.k.a. Jason, 48, both of Alexandria, Kentucky, were charged with four counts of concealing, harboring, or shielding a person for commercial and private financial gain, and one count of conspiracy to conceal, harbor, or shield persons for commercial and private financial gain.

Those arrested include: Everardo Rodriguez Duran, Brian David Duran, Guadalupe Duran, Juan Duran, Uriel Coronel, Jesus Miranda Haros, Juan Carlos Magana and Amaytani Nunez. They are facing state charges including conspiracy to transport and distribute narcotics, firearms possession, gang enhancements and conspiracy to commit murder.

Santos DeLeon-Cardenas, 35, from Brownsville was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. His sentence is to be immediately followed by three years supervised release. De Leon-Cardenas pleaded guilty April 29. 

A federal grand jury charged Steve Jackson Rodriguez, 37, of Pomona, in a six-count indictment that includes four counts alleging he produced child pornography.

According to court documents, Jerry Lee Bright, 62, of Marion County, Kentucky, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

As the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles, Rudolph Petersen, 34, pleaded guilty to a single-count information charging him with bribery.