News Releases and Statements

Hsien Tai Tsai, aka Alex Tsai, pleaded guilty in October 2014, admitting that he conspired with others to interfere with and obstruct U.S. regulations that seek to disrupt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Tsai, 69, was arrested in May 2013 in Tallinn, Estonia, and was later extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Mar. 13, 2015

Special Agent in Charge John Kelleghan presented the annual HSI "Exemplary Partnership Award" to Delaware Child Predator Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) members for their combined efforts to investigate a group of registered child sex offenders in Delaware involved in the distribution and production of child pornography.

Han Woon Liew, 46, of Sugar Land, Texas, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Lynn C. Hughes; to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay $2.6 million in restitution. Liew pleaded guilty to the charges Nov. 18, 2014.

In addition to the 13 arrests, 10 kilograms of cocaine were seized. It is alleged that this DTO annually distributed about two to three tons of cocaine. To date, 16 individuals have been arrested and 688 kilograms (1,517 pounds) of cocaine have been seized.

Wei Zhang, aka David Liteng, 35, of Tianjin, China, also pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting the importation of controlled substances and cathinones, also known as “bath salts.” He faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison.

HSI special agents arrested Gabriel Rodriguez-Pacheco, 30, of Yauco, for allegedly persuading, enticing and coercing two female minors, 16 and 17 years of age, to engage in sexually explicit conduct, namely the lascivious exhibition of their genital areas, for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

William Akers, 46, is in federal custody facing child pornography charges following a public outreach campaign by HSI to identify a previously unknown man captured on video sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl.

Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, 67, a Chicago-area resident was found guilty Nov. 10, 2014, following a five-day jury trial, of procuring her U.S. citizenship unlawfully. As part of her sentence, Odeh’s citizenship was revoked and she was ordered removed to Jordan.

According to the indictment, Jermaine McClary, 39, possessed and intended to distribute heroin and cocaine. It is also alleged that he possessed a .38 caliber revolver in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessed both that gun and a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol as a convicted felon.

Tommie J. Beason, 37, of Franklin, previously admitted during his guilty plea in October 2014 that he downloaded 230 images and 88 videos of hardcore child pornography. The files included prepubescent child pornography and also sadistic content.

Gregory Bogomol, 39, a former teacher at Denton High School pleaded guilty in October 2014 to an indictment charging two counts of producing child pornography. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means to 360 months in federal prison for each count, to run consecutively, for a total of 720 months in federal prison.

Cristian Quintero-Felix, a Norteño gang associate, was sentenced Wednesday to 87 months for possession with intent to distribute cocaine within 1,000 feet of St. Elizabeth’s High School; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and being a felon in possession of firearms.

Roxanne Merrell, 35, of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, was convicted on one count of producing child pornography after a three-day jury trial. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Pablo Zarate Juarez is the former Instituto Tamaulipeco De Vivienda Y Urbanismo (ITAVU) director in the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The criminal indictment, returned Wednesday, is a result of the efforts of the OCDETF investigation.

Jamie Sailas, 29, of Brighton, Colorado, was arrested based on a Criminal Complaint charging one count each of producing, transporting and possessing child pornography. Sailas appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge where he was advised of his rights, and the charges pending against him. He is being held in custody pending a detention and preliminary hearing scheduled for March 17.

Dylan Jordan, 24, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced March 12 to 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, after his conviction on one count of traveling in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Jordan pleaded guilty to this charge Oct. 16, 2014.

Daniel Pagano, 61, admitted to being the leader in a racketeering conspiracy that spanned nearly five years. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 10, 2015.

During an operation dubbed Foxhound, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working jointly with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, conducted simultaneous takedowns Wednesday in the municipalities of Manati, Barceloneta and Florida, as well as in New York, Florida and Connecticut. The operation resulted in the arrest of 47 individuals for their alleged participation in a drug trafficking, illegal firearms and money laundering conspiracy.

Jason Christopher Paur, 44, of Seattle, pleaded guilty last week in Canada to possession of child pornography and two counts of secretly observing/recording nudity and was sentenced to time served. He was arrested in December 2013 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after female students discovered a hidden camera in their room.

Edward Orth, 25, of Phoenix, was taken into custody Feb. 25 by HSI special agents based on evidence uncovered during the execution of a state search warrant related to possible child pornography violations. At the time of his arrest, Orth was employed at LifeTime Fitness in Scottsdale as an assistant in the center’s KinderPrep section where he had regular contact with children. He remains in state custody at this time on a $25,000 bond.

The three defendants allegedly ran a "pay-to-stay" scheme through three schools in Koreatown – Prodee University/Neo-America Language School; Walter Jay M.D. Institute, an Educational Center (WJMD); and the American College of Forensic Studies (ACFS) – and a fourth school currently operating in Alhambra, Likie Fashion and Technology College.

The khat, which was destined for the United States, was shipped from Kenya as henna. It is the largest seizure of khat in South Korea’s history. It is also their first prosecution for dried khat. Dried khat is an illegal substance in the United States as it contains cathinone, a controlled substance.

The suspect appears in a child pornography video seized as part of the investigation into Bailey Mills, a Sanford man convicted of multiple sex offenses involving children. Elizabeth Mills, Bailey’s wife, identified the man in the video as Peter Gilbert, but HSI Raleigh special agents believe that name is an alias and request the public’s assistance in finding him.

Eleven individuals from metro Detroit, including one former Blue Cross Blue Shield employee, were charged Tuesday with running identity theft and credit card fraud schemes. The charges follow an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as part of the Southeast Michigan Financial and Cyber Crimes Task Force.