News Releases and Statements

Authorities arrested Matthew Krapf, 45, in November 2013, and later identified five victims and more than 2 million child pornography images in his possession.

According to police reports, on May 17, 2003, Edwin Adolfo Solorzano Juarez, 38, allegedly killed his 20-year-old ex-wife and their unborn child in Guatemala. Investigators concluded that his ex-wife died as a result of blunt force trauma to the neck and head region.

Raymond Gajewski, 66, from Hammond, Indiana, pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2014 to possessing child pornography; he was sentenced May 14 to 87 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark.

Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a series of actions to enhance oversight and accountability, increase access and transparency, and ensure its family residential centers continue to serve as safe and humane facilities for families pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings.

Justin Gaertner, who has worked at ICE since he graduated from the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Corps inaugural class in October 2013, discussed topics including his duties at ICE combating child exploitation, how he's overcome his combat injuries suffered in Afghanistan and his new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant home.

A federal judge sentenced Damion Hardy, 40, and Aaron Granton, 40, to life imprisonment after a jury convicted them for murder in-aid-of racketeering and related offenses.

Noel Pena, 29, an investigator with the Rio Grande City (Texas) Police Department, and Hector Salinas-Hinojosa, 21, of Roma, Texas, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Both were arrested April 17.

Paul R. Hinkel, 57, of Chester, Conn., was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston for traveling to Watertown in response to an advertisement on Craigslist in which a woman sought an adult man who might be interested in a sexual relationship with her child. The Craigslist ad was placed by undercover HSI special agents seeking to detect online predators.

Daniel T. Eckstrom, 32, of Lake Station, Indiana, was sentenced May 12 to 240 years in federal prison — to be followed by lifetime supervised release — for his nine criminal convictions for producing, distributing and possessing child pornography.

Ali Afif Al Herz, 50, Bassem Herz, 30, Sarah Zeaiter, 24, and Adam Ben Ali Al Herz, 22, all related to each other, and all from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have each been charged with conspiracy to illegally ship a container or package containing numerous firearms and ammunition to the Middle East without notice to the shipper.

Arnold Bernard Conrad Jr., 52, of Jacksonville, was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervision following his release, register as sex offender, forfeit his computer media and pay $9,000 in restitution to three victims.

Michael Gregory Oertli, 40, of Brookshire, Texas, pleaded guilty in November 2014 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Miriam Kizzie, aka "Keys" and "Keyshawn," 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 153 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In February 2015, Kizzie pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking of minors.

The ICE Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony is an annual and solemn tradition held during National Police Week to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the nation. In 2014, 117 men and women serving in law enforcement lost their lives while serving communities around the nation.

The Scranton, Pennsylvania, residents were indicted April 28, 2015, by a federal grand jury for sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minor and related charges. Jimmy Cantelmo, aged 26, and Mark Matis "Koolaid," aged 26, allegedly conspired with each other and others to persuade a female minor to engage in prostitution and illegal sexual activity from February through August 2014.

Qais Hussein, 44, and Majdi Odeh, 45, both of Swansea, Illinois, pleaded guilty May 11 to a four-count indictment charging that they, along with others, engaged in a conspiracy from January 2010 through July 2012 to unlawfully acquire Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits (formerly known as food stamps), aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, and trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Ronald L. Collins, 56, of Lincoln, was sentenced May 11 by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough to 300 months in federal prison. Collins was further ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and serve a lifetime of supervised release after he completes his sentence.

Two projects produced by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Strategic Communications Branch earned honors in the 21st Annual Communicator Awards program from The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The Communicator Awards recognize achievements in the fields of marketing and communications.

Yong Guo, 45, a Chinese national illegally in the U.S., pleaded guilty in February to the scheme uncovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Sippy Lal, 62, appeared in federal court Friday. According to court documents, from at least Oct. 24, 2006, until Jan. 10, 2012, Lal and his co-defendants Mamta Sharma, 37, and Rani Singh-Lal, 30, both of Sacramento, were involved in a fraud scheme involving foreign nationals from India who paid to enter into sham engagements or marriages with locally recruited U.S. citizens in an effort to legalize their immigration status.

Vanessa Grandoit, 26, of Roxbury, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and five years of supervised release. Kairis Sanchez, aka “Lola,” of Dorchester and Portland, Maine, was sentenced on April 29, 2015, to 18 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

On Aug. 20, 2013, Gerardo Navarro-Rodriguez, 60, was arrested at his medical office in Caguas after an investigation revealed he allegedly induced, coerced and enticed at least one 17-year-old male minor to engage in commercial sexual acts. The investigation was spurred by a referral from the Puerto Rico Police Department.

Bailey Joe Mills, 34, received 45 years of imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Mills’ wife, Elizabeth, was sentenced to 16 years followed by 10 years of supervised release. Both are required to register as sex offenders.

HSI special agents arrested Joed Torres-Monje, 34, following an investigation that revealed he utilized his personal computer to download child pornography via a peer-to-peer (P2P) platform, a network created when two or more computers are connected and share resources without going through a separate server computer.