News Releases and Statements

Milton Charles Wilson, also known as “Barbwire,” 59, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kayla Pinkerton, also known as “Foxy,” 19, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, pleaded guilty in separate court appearances to one count each of interstate transportation for prostitution.

Martin Margarito-Casimiro, 28, of Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was originally charged in February 2015 on the firearms charge and was remanded to custody pending further criminal proceedings. A federal grand jury in McAllen returned the superceding indictment adding the conspiracy and kidnapping allegations April 1.

Otoniel Galindo Vasquez-Lopez, 29, of Louisiana, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Representatives from the Honolulu Museum of Art Wednesday transferred seven rare antiquities to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after an ongoing international smuggling probe by HSI determined the objects had likely been looted from India and brought to the U.S. illegally.

Alan Folweiler, 21, admitted his involvement as part of a group distributing alpha-pvp, a synthetic drug commonly known as bath salts during 2011 through 2013.

Egyptian citizens Malak Neseem Swares Boulos, 43, and Amged Kamel Yonan Tawdraus, 33, the leaders of AMA United Group, an Egyptian procurement agent, entered a guilty plea to violating the Arms Export Control Act. Boulos and Tawdraus admitted to failing to file required export information relating to the international shipment of a landmine and multiple bomb bodies.

Ping Liu, 43, and Xingdi Lin, 48, both of Wichita, Kansas, were charged with one count each of attempting to persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual to cross state lines to engage in prostitution and one each count of using a telephone in furtherance of prostitution.

Robert Vangorden, 41, of Omaha Nebraska, was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months (210 months) for distributing materials involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. Vangorden will also serve 10 years of supervised release following his incarceration. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims' Fund and $5,000 in restitution.

Sharon Elizabeth Harrington, 27, of Bunceton, Missouri pleaded guilty to participating in a mail fraud conspiracy in Boone County, Mo., from March 2011, to December 2013. Chadwick James Schlicht, 44, of Osage Beach, Missouri, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

According to his plea agreement, Jean Claud Mills, 31, of Albuquerque, will be sentenced to 11 years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

At the time of his guilty plea, Cesar Eloy Munoz-Silva, from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, admitted that on March 8, 2014, he drove a vehicle from Mexico into the United States through the Anzalduas, Texas, port of entry, knowing the vehicle contained a controlled substance.

Javier Guerrero Molina, 34, citizen of Mexico, was arrested May 30, 2014, at the Jacksonville International Airport.

Eric Sansburn, 30, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, was sentenced to 305 months (25 years, 4 months) in federal prison on seven criminal charges. The charges included two counts of transporting minors to engage in sexual activity, three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Ronnie Cosby, 39, of Hammond, Indiana, is charged with one count of transporting a minor to engage in prostitution. Cosby appeared in court March 30 for his arraignment. Court records allege Cosby committed the crime in February, transporting the child from Indiana to Illinois.

Adam Mack, 39, who is both a former state representative and Maine Notary of the Public, knowingly helped facilitate sham marriages between foreign nationals from Russia and Ukraine and U.S. citizens.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Mar. 27, 2015

Raul Vivas-Ceja was deported from the United States on Oct. 8, 2010. He illegally re-entered the country and was again deported Sept. 28, 2012, after serving a 12-month sentence for a felony related to fleeing and eluding conviction in Dane County, Wisconsin.

Maxwell Poku, 36, of Union, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to one count each of immigration fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

As part of Project iGuardian, HSI special agents in San Juan organized the Internet safety outreach for kids 12 to 16 years old to provide them with the necessary tools to make smart decisions when navigating in the Internet. HSI San Juan made the massive event possible by soliciting support from both the public and private sector. Toa Baja Mayor Anibal Vega Borges and his team took care of all the logistics. The Puerto Rico Department of Education arranged for the transportation of students from schools in the Bayamon Education Region to the Antonio R. Barcelo Coliseum.

According to plea documents filed in the case, Eduardo Cantillo, from Lubbock, Texas, used a computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos of child pornography. In the course of those searches, Cantillo located, downloaded and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography.

Fake jerseys, ball caps, t-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs are among the counterfeit merchandise and clothing typically sold at and around these events. Additionally, authorities have seen an increase in the sale of counterfeit tickets being sold to events like these. Large sporting events are prime targets for counterfeiters, many of whom travel the country with the sole intention of scamming innocent sports fans.

Between January and October 2013, Javier E. Rivas, 35, of San Francisco, furnished multi-ounce quantities of high purity methamphetamine, known as “ice” and “crystal meth,” to a California drug supplier, who, in turn, mailed the drugs to local distributors in the Pensacola area. In September 2014, Rivas pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy.

Former New York City Police Officer Rex Maralit, 46, and his brother Wilfredo Maralit, 49, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to Los Angeles International Airport, pleaded guilty June 12, 2014, for their roles in an illegal scheme to smuggle high-powered assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, and firearms accessories from the United States to the Philippines, violating the Arms Export Control Act. A third brother, Ariel Maralit, resides in the Philippines and remains a fugitive.

Eric Bing, 28, of Clark, was charged with enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Timothy Prejean, 42, of Carencro, admitted in his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik that he accepted numerous cash payments from James Panos, the former owner and manager of Desperado’s Cabaret, during the years he served as a liaison officer for the Carencro Police Department responsible for enforcing local ordinances at the establishment.