News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
On March 16, a federal jury in Charlotte convicted Gregory Maxwell Palmer, 48, a naturalized citizen of Jamaica, of naturalization fraud. U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney presided over the two-day trial.
On March 23, Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II sentenced Manuel Alejandro Vitela-Romero, 36, a citizen of Mexico residing in Johnston County, to time served plus one year of supervised release.
Eric Jose Martinez Lopez, 33, is wanted for murder by Honduran law enforcement authorities. Martinez has also been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for aggravated assault in New Jersey.
The perpetrators of these scams represent themselves as employees with Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security or other government entities.
High-profile sporting events like the Final Four often attract counterfeiters who prey on increased public demand to illegally sell counterfeit merchandise and tickets to celebrating fans who let down their guards.
A federal court in Washington, D.C. unsealed two indictments March 21 charging Amanallah Paidar, of Iran, and Murat Bükey, of Turkey, with conspiring to procure and export sensitive U.S. technology for Iran through their companies, Farazan Industrial Engineering in Iran and Ozon Spor Ve Hobbi Ürünleri in Turkey.
The investigation alleges that the defendants intentionally conspired to conduct and participate, directly and indirectly, in the enterprise’s conduct through a pattern of racketeering activity consisting of multiple murders, kidnappings and other crimes.
Kendra R. Baker, 37, of Grand Island, was sentenced to 54 months in prison for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture and 5 grams or more of methamphetamine actual following an HSI and law enforcement partner investigation.
Juan Carlos Nolasco Chicas, a known MS-13 gang member, was turned over to the SAFE task force Mar. 24, 2023, after being removed from the U.S. as a fugitive wanted by El Salvador law enforcement authorities for aggravated homicide.
ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO Honduras and SAFE in Honduras, removed Juan Manuel Mena Dolmo, a 35-year-old previously deported Honduran national, from the U.S. on March 22. Mena is wanted in Honduras for murder.
The 32-year-old citizen of Pakistan and permanent resident of Brazil reported to the ERO New York City field office pursuant to bond demand without incident. The noncitizen’s bond was canceled, and they were remanded into custody pending a decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Osiel Cardenas-Salinas Jr., 31, from Brownsville, was sentenced March 23 by U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. The judge sentenced Cardenas-Salinas to 100 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $20,000 fine.
Officials identified the noncitizens as having been convicted of crimes such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence, or as those who were released from incarceration on parole or placed on community probation under supervision.
Authorities arrested Ricardo Julyan Kross Rios, a 21-year-old Corpus Christi resident, March 23 at his residence in Corpus Christi for delivery of fentanyl resulting in death and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Deportation officers with ERO Boston removed Francisco Lopez-Lopez, a 50-year-old unlawfully present Mexican national and foreign fugitive wanted for kidnapping in Mexico on March 22.
Jean Morose Viliena, 50, was indicted March 23 for illegally obtaining a permanent resident card, commonly referred to as a green card, by means of a false statement — specifically that he had not ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.
Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week.
Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 60, and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio, 48, were arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States pursuant to charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed last week. Hernandez-Salas and Saucedo-Huipio allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico into the United States.
Special agents seized 10,617 doses of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs, all controlled substances in the United States, used to treat conditions from cough and cold symptoms to cancer.
The enforcement effort was implemented to address removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of attempted murder, murder-second degree, domestic violence, rape by force, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under local, state or federal supervision prior to the ICE enforcement action.
Hugo Benjamin Tijerina, 36, of Pharr, pleaded guilty in federal court March 21 after admitting he received videos and images containing child sexual abuse material on his laptop.
ICE's ERO Philadelphia apprehended 21 removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of felony rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence who had been released from incarceration on parole or placed on probation into communities under supervision during a nation-wide enforcement effort between March 4 and March 13.
Since its launch on March 13, 2023, Operation Blue Lotus has led to 18 seizures, 16 federal arrests and two state arrests. Those seizures prevented over 900 pounds of fentanyl, over 700 pounds of methamphetamines and over 100 pounds of cocaine from entering the United States through March 19.
Israel Flores Jr., 21, of Los Fresnos, appeared before a federal judge and admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material on a flash drive he obtained while he was a student at the University of Texas.
Elias Herrera, 31; Liz Jomayra Diaz-Colon, 23; and Jonathan Guemez, 30, previously pleaded guilty and admitted they had conspired together to import the drugs into the United States. All three people are from Nashville, Tennessee.
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