News Releases and Statements

Felipe Nevarez of Alamosa, Colorado is a member of the Kings de Monte Gang and will remain in custody for the duration of his sentence.

HSI San Diego special agents tracked the truck from the Otay Mesa Cargo Point of Entry before the driver – Carlos Gerardo Symonds Saavedra, a Mexican citizen – parked the vehicle in a private commercial parking lot. The agents arrested the driver and seized the truck.

Cheng-Hsuan “Eric” Tsai, 29, of Mesa, Arizona, appeared for his initial appearance Friday morning. He faces 20 counts of distribution and possessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Maricopa County Judge Steven McCarthy set Tsai’s bail to $1 million.

Leonard J. Andrew, Jr., 36, of Bedford, Kentucky, pleaded guilty in November 2020 to the distribution of child pornography.

Elba Maria Centeno Briones, 37, entered ICE custody July 27, and was taken to the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas.

The tunnel, which has an entrance measuring 12 feet by 10 feet, extends 3 feet north of the international border wall, but has no exit on the U.S. side of the border. The DTO equipped the tunnel with electricity, ventilation, a rail system with a cart, and an electric hoist.

ICE announced today the first Continued Presence (CP) resource guide to assist federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies nationwide with their human trafficking investigations and prosecutions.

Irregular migration to the United States is dangerous and may carry long-term immigration consequences. The journey is especially dangerous for families and children, including teenagers.

Brian Kampel, 44, pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, he will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life.

"I have directed ICE leadership to identify and begin taking meaningful steps to address necessary changes to policies and procedures, as well as resource needs, within 60 days of the issuance of this memorandum."

According to court documents, HSI and VBPD first identified Marco Viscomi, 36, of Ontario, in 2012 after a father of two girls, who were 13 and 17 years old at the time, reported to VBPD that his daughters had been sexually extorted by someone they met online.

Charges in the indictment include seven murder allegations, kidnappings, numerous assaults, robberies and large-scale drug distribution.

Michelle Sunshine Betters, 44, of Tucson, Arizona, was previously indicted on three counts by a federal grand jury. The court ordered Betters detained pending trial, which is scheduled for Sept. 8.

From July 19 through July 26, law enforcement agencies with the Southeast Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (AZICAC), arrested two individuals for attempting to lure minors to engage in sexual conduct.

Eric S. Jarvis, a licensed criminal defense attorney, pleaded guilty before a U.S. federal judge to using a cellular phone and the PACER database to assist and promote the drug trafficking activities of known drug traffickers since at least July 24, 2017, through May 10.

Operation SOAR is a coordinated enforcement operation that builds on ongoing efforts to arrest and remove noncitizen sex offenders from our communities.

The fraudulent websites allegedly offer a number of drugs for sale for the experimental and unapproved treatment or prevention of COVID-19. Instead, the domains were allegedly used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the sites in order to use their information for nefarious purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks and/or deployment of malware.

Marc Anthony Bane, 32, from Porter, Texas and Tara Renee Dillon, 33, from Conroe, Texas appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos who charged the couple for their role in human smuggling.

As a result of the operation: Three minors were recovered; 75 minors were located; Two minors remain outstanding; The minors recovered and located were offered services that help identify the potential exploitation of at-risk children.

A 43-year-old resident of Rosharon is set to make an appearance in Laredo federal court on allegations he attempted to smuggle dozens of undocumented non-citizens, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Kenneth Hall, 38, a previously convicted felon, sold a total of 383.6 grams of methamphetamine in Henderson and Las Vegas between March 6, 2018, and April 3, 2018. According to court documents, the April 3, drug sale, Hall showed and offered to sell a handgun to the buyer.

Seven co-defendants were sentenced throughout the week, including Jonathon “Luke” Paz, Drew Wilson Crandall, Alexandrya Marie Tonge, Katherine Lauren Anne Bustin, Mario Anthony Noble, Sean Michael Gygi and Ana “Gabby” Noriega, while Christopher Sean Kenny was sentenced last month in a separate hearing.

As a result of an investigation by HSI Los Angeles, Jerome Terry Jr., 45, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. In his plea agreement, Terry agreed to a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years in federal prison.

Bradley Scott Helton, 33, previously pleaded guilty to communicating with the victim via an app called “Kiss Kiss: Spin the Bottle.” He admitted to chatting with the victim, sending sexual videos and pictures, and requesting the victim send sexual videos in return.

A federal criminal complaint filed this afternoon charges Erik Christopher Younggren, 34, of Cherry Valley, with attempted possession of firearms and dangerous weapons in a federal facility, a misdemeanor offense that carries a sentence of up to one year in federal prison.