News Releases and Statements

According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Linda Avila, 50, and unindicted co-conspirators devised a scheme to file false income tax returns using forms obtained from illegal aliens on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and elsewhere.

Roberto Cantu-Rodriguez, 35, of Laredo, appeared before a federal judge Nov. 17 to enter his guilty plea for shielding, harboring and concealing five illegal aliens from detection while he was stationed at the Laredo CBP Sector.

On July 14, a jury convicted Robert Harold Scott Jr. on multiple counts involving the production of child pornography and online enticement.

HSI’s leadership in partnering with the Pakistan Customs Service helped in the launch of the End Use Verification project that will help monitor the import and export of chemicals that are used both legally and illegally.

Gary Barham, 52, of Easton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin.

This investigation is being led by the Texas DPS-CID Gang Unit with assistance from the following agencies: Dallas Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, the Garland Police Department’s Neighborhood Police Officer Unit, the Mesquite and Rockwall police departments, and ICE's HSI.

On Friday, James Erik Sharron, 40, of Houston, and Steven Tobin Mullen, 45, of Dallas, were sentenced to respective terms of 72 and 156 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake. On Nov. 13, Larry Max Bryan, 52, of Houston, and Terry Ross Blake, 56, of Corpus Christi, both high-ranking leaders of the ABT, were sentenced to 300 and 180 months in federal prison, respectively. Jamie Grant Loveall, 38, and Kelly Ray Elley, 37, both of Houston; and Ronald Lee Prince, 44, of Dallas, were also sentenced to respective terms of 390, 270 and 120 months in federal prison.

A federal jury found, Mahabubuz Zaman, 42, of Queens, New York, guilty of participating in an elaborate bank fraud scheme which yielded millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.

Daniel Mota-Torres, 35, was deported Nov. 14 and transferred to the custody of Mexican law enforcement authorities at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas.

Charles Keith Rolfe, 60, of Heyburn, Idaho, was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

The HSI investigation revealed that Garcia Campos, also known as "Chicano," conspired with a Department of Motor Vehicles employee to sell identification documents to foreign nationals.

Miguel Ortiz, 27, of San Francisco; Antonio Castillo, 26, of San Bruno; and Marvin Cortez, 24, of San Francisco were arrested Wednesday on charges detailed in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury earlier this month, which was unsealed Thursday.

Justin Turcheck, 29, of Abilene, Texas, is currently in federal custody. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings revoked his pre-trial release last month finding that Turcheck had violated his conditions of release.

Radu Sebastian Popa, 40, was escorted from John F. Kennedy Airport on Nov. 11 via a commercial flight. He was turned over to Romanian authorities in Bucharest, Romania.

Roxanne Merrell, 35, of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, was charged with two counts of producing child pornography. Merrell was arrested by law enforcement authorities Nov. 5; she made her first court appearance Nov. 7.

The 2.66-mile speedway became an ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) partner during a ceremony at the track. IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows private industry to partner with ICE to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents.

Reyes Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute narcotics along with Eloy Gonzalez, 40, Hector Rodriguez Sr., 61, Federico Rodriguez, 27, Jamail Thomas, 34, and William Champion Gonzalez, 22, all of Weslaco, Also sentenced Nov. 13 was Jose A. Padilla, 54, of Weslaco, a former deputy commander with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office who served under the leadership of former Sheriff Guadalupe Trevino, aka Lupe Trevino.

Based on data extracted from SEVIS Oct. 7, 1.11 million international students, using an F (academic) or M (vocational) visa, were enrolled at nearly 9,000 U.S. schools. This marked a nine percent increase when compared to October 2013 data.

A federal judge sentenced Rudy Mendoza, 29, following his conviction in a nine day trial in November 2013 for racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, robbery conspiracy, and firearms charges.

Cesar Urena Valverde, 31, of Trenton, was initially arrested Oct. 22, 2013, when HSI special agents and detectives executed a search warrant at his home and seized computers and hard drives containing images and videos of child pornography.

Eliezer Lazo, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit extortion for his role in an alien smuggling operation that moved approximately 1,000 Cuban migrants from Cuba to Mexico and then the United States.

Cameron Harrison, aka “Kilobit,” 28, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon.

According to the criminal complaint, Rene Roberge, 47, of Quebec, sent an email Oct. 9, to an undercover agent through a social networking site, in which he requested to meet with the agent and the agent's 14-year-old son. Roberge chatted with the undercover agent and stated he would travel to Florida to meet the undercover agent and the agent's son.

Laureano Garcia-Zelaya, 36, entered the United States illegally in April 2004 near Eagle Pass, Texas, where he was encountered by the Border Patrol and issued a Notice to Appear before an immigration judge.