News Releases and Statements

The detective determined that Jeremiah Chayse Gardiner, of Mesquite, Texas, uploaded images of child pornography to a social networking application called Tumblr. On April 17, 2014, Mesquite detectives visited West Mesquite High School to speak with Gardiner and execute a search warrant on his cellphone.

“It made me feel very proud to have our team recognized,” said John Canfield, HSI Tip Line Unit Chief. “Every law enforcement agency was represented at the awards and several dignitaries were in attendance. It was a great day for our agency.”

Christian Starling Aguasvivas, 26, of the Dominican Republic, was arrested without incident outside of his residence in Lawrence, Massachusetts, May 8, by ICE officers and special agents along with Massachusetts State Police.

Jose A. Mercedes, 46, aka Hippie of Yonkers, New York, and Yenci Cruz Francisco, 19, of the Bronx, New York are accused of operating as a major trafficker and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.

Anthony R. Pecoraro, 52, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

Corderro Cody, 27, of Allentown, has been charged on four additional counts — three additional counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, or attempt; and one count of sex trafficking of a minor. The superseding indictment was filed in federal court May 14. Cody now faces a total of nine federal charges related to sex trafficking.

Stephanie Pyle, 40, was charged Feb. 10 in a 12-count indictment alleging that between January 2010 and May 2014, she used credit cards and account numbers without authorization in the name of a construction company to defraud the company.

Ken Zhiyi Liang, 38, of Irvine, was arrested Friday afternoon by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after accepting $6,000 from the witness in exchange for helping her abscond to China.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending May 15, 2015

Evandro Sergio Pais Franca, of Brazil, was convicted in absentia Nov. 5, 2012, after being found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill Maria Aprecida Vieira, the mayor of Nacip Raydan, Brazil. According to court documents, Franca ordered the assassination of Vieira April 5, 2000.

Santos Acevedo Gutierrez, 41, of Shafter, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neil. In addition to the prison term, Judge O’Neil also ordered Acevedo Gutierrez to forfeit $10,123, funds linked to his drug trafficking activities.

Ellen Pierson, a special agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, rides to pay tribute to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, and the families they leave behind.

Stanley Dan Reczko III, 50, who resided in the Koreatown District of Los Angeles, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George H. King, who in March found the defendant guilty of producing child pornography while being required to register as a sex offender.

The students, including 12 law enforcement officers from Guatemala and 12 law enforcement officers from Panama, began their training April 28. They join more than 500 other graduates from 31 previous classes who are making a tremendous difference in their home countries.

Daniel Frias Gomez, 23, of Columbus, Iowa, was sentenced May 15 by Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen to 87 months for possession child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Gomez will also be required to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2013.

Daniel Brown, 26, of Taylor, South Carolina, was sentenced May 14 to 180 months in prison after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to advertise child pornography. On May 15, 2015, John Merchberger, 48, of Dayton, Maine, was sentenced to 220 months in prison and Marc Edoria, 24, of Elk Grove, California, was sentenced to 180 months in prison.

Angela S. Gasca, 10, and her siblings Diana K., 8, and Damian G., 2, went missing Feb. 5 and were believed to be endangered. The children were in the company of their mother, Amanda Ibarra Gasca, and Ivan Ruiz. All attempts to locate the children locally were unsuccessful. It was suspected that Gasca and Ruiz fled the United States with the three children to escape authorities and arrest warrants issued for Ruiz related to child abuse charges.

Damian Gasdaska, 38, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was running an ID fraud scheme that involved stealing personal information, including from old court records.

Randolph Felton, 36, from Noblesville, Indiana, was sentenced May 15 to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Chief Judge Richard L. Young after pleading guilty to distributing child pornography. This is Felton’s second conviction related to child pornography.

Because of the systemic danger posed by counterfeiting and piracy, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has estimated to cost the global economy in excess of $250 billion per year and up to 750,000 American jobs, the IPR Center seeks to engage directly with public and private acquisition professionals to break the steady growth of trade in counterfeit goods.

ABC News 20/20 will feature a high-profile case, May. 15 at 10 p.m. (EST), with which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was heavily involved.

Franklin Santa Maria Fajardo, 29, allegedly attempted to smuggle the undocumented individuals into the United States through Mexico. He was spotted in the vicinity of Tapachula, Mexico, driving a passenger van above the legal speed limit.

Special Agent Christopher Pandolfi was one of 12 individuals awarded the 2015 Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Award for Valor May 14.

These indictments resulted from separate investigations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Joplin (Missouri) Police Department and the York Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada.

The three-day operation, which concluded Tuesday, was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) as part of the agency’s commitment to prioritize the removal of individuals previously convicted of a crime.