News Releases and Statements

Alan Verschleisser, 66, and James Robinson, 41, both of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to their participation in the conspiracy and were sentenced to three years in prison and 33 months in prison.

Michael D. Arnett of Roeland Park, Kan., is charged with one count of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Wednesday, charging Andrew Dale McKee with two counts of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of transferring obscene material to a minor (via Facebook).

Juan Ricardo Puente-Paez was sentenced to seven years and 11 months in federal prison for trafficking firearms, ammunition and military vests, following an investigation that began in May 2010 conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations special agents and New York Police Department (NYPD) officers swarmed a six-story building in the heart of Chinatown Monday evening with search warrants to seize proceeds from an illegal gambling parlor. Nearly half of the building was used for illegal gambling activities.

Fernando Alejandro Cano Martinez, a Mexican businessman from Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, was indicted Tuesday following a multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. This indictment stems from a long-term investigation targeting alleged money laundering activities inside the United States.

This case was investigated by HSI, with assistance provided by the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes, Southern District of Mississippi.

Three individuals were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for their roles in an alien smuggling scheme that resulted in the death of a 70 year-old woman when an SUV carrying smugglers and illegal aliens crashed through the victim's home. The investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

Markos Baghdasarian, the president of a South Carolina-based firm specializing in synthesized motor oils, was arrested Saturday for exporting goods from the United States to Iran without the required U.S. Department of the Treasury licenses, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Commerce...

Jeffrey Wayne Day was sentenced Monday to 15 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in October 2011 to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography. A forensic examination of the computer equipment seized from Day's residence revealed more than 20,000 images and videos of child pornography.

Fifty-five individuals in 20 countries, including the United States, have been identified as part of a multi-agency, international operation targeting individuals using social networking groups to exchange child pornography. During the investigation, 12 children were also identified and removed from harm.

Gregory Joel Sitzmann, a drug trafficker believed to have been operating since at least the 1980s, was convicted by a jury Monday of a federal drug conspiracy charge for his role as the leader of an international drug trafficking and money laundering ring that operated at least 14 years out of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Bahamas...

Bryan Martin of Portland, Texas, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for using a telephone and a computer connected to the Internet to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The joint investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Nicholas Gregory Halvorson has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges arising from a probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations that he received and shared over the Internet more than 1,400 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Robert L. Hedrick, the former president of the Brownsville-based Pan-American Airways, was found guilty Monday of attempting to sexually exploit children, transferring obscene materials to a minor, and distributing and possessing child pornography.

Russell Weisz was sentenced in federal court Monday to nearly six years in prison for possessing child pornography. This sentence resulted from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in cooperation with the Bismarck Police Department, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation...

Four Fresno residents have been sentenced to prison time for trafficking in counterfeit movie and music disks following a probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

Roger Lee Wagner, 56, of Schertz, Texas, was sentenced May 18 to 200 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, Western District of Texas. Judge Biery also ordered Wagner to pay a $1,000 restitution fee to three victims and $100 special assessment fee.

John D. Roach, 64, of Topeka, was convicted on one count of possessing child pornography. Prosecutors presented evidence that Roach used his father's credit card to purchase access to a Russian website that distributed child pornography. Investigators followed an electronic trail to Roach's home in Topeka where they found more than 600 images of child pornography and 41 movies containing child pornography on his computer, drives and CDs.

Simon Casares-Rodriguez, a previously deported Mexico national, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for re-entering the United States after being deported. The sentence resulted from an investigation by ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Fourteen convicted drug traffickers and money launderers were sentenced Monday to federal prison terms as high as 33 years, following a joint investigation coordinated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Joshua Conde, a teacher at a children's daycare and after-school facility in the Bronx, was arrested Wednesday for possessing and distributing child pornography. This arrest comes as a result of an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

ABC Professional Tree Services Inc. (ABC) has agreed to adhere to revised immigration compliance procedures and to pay $2 million as forfeited funds to the Department of Homeland Security related to revenue derived from the employment of illegal aliens.

Curtis Henry of Rochester, New York, was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation and ordered to pay $13,377 for importing more than 700 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis tablets from a source in China into the United States. This investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

John Wyss of Monroe, Wis., was found guilty yesterday for his participation in an international criminal network, known as Dreamboard, dedicated to the sexual abuse of children. The charges against Wyss are the result of Operation Delego, an ongoing investigation targeted against Dreamboard that has lead to 42 individuals convicted so far.