News Releases and Statements

Marcus Gabriel Henderson, 34, pleaded guilty in January to attempted production of child pornography and transportation of child pornography. Court records state Henderson came to the attention of law enforcement through an undercover child pornography investigation.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending May 2, 2014

According to court documents, between November 28, 2012 and January 24, 2013, David Thomas Hume, 37, distributed more than 600 images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images also depicted prepubescent minors involved in sadism, masochism and acts of violence.

Laiton Blake Witkowski, of Stockton, Maryland, had his initial appearance May 5 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Witkowski faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for each of the two counts of production of child pornography; a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for distribution of child pornography; and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the four counts of possession of child pornography.

Sylvester Joseph, 26, of Deerfield, Florida, identified as a leader, was sentenced by U.S. District Senior Judge William Caldwell for his role in a car break-in and bank fraud crew that stole more than a million dollars in the five years it was in operation. Testimony presented at previous sentencing proceedings showed that the crew stole millions of dollars from banks using stolen checks and identification. Although they were only caught in 2012, the crew was implicated in committing this scheme for more than five years and victimizing more than 250 people in the course of the fraud scheme, dubbed the "Felony Lane Gang."

HSI special agents arrested Edwin Maldonado-Burgos, 57, of Orocovis, after an investigation that stemmed from a referral from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice revealed that he transported a then 18-year-old mentally-disabled female, identified in the criminal complaint as Jane Doe, in order to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

Daniel Perry, a 17-year-old victim of an online blackmail attempt, died after jumping off the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh, Scotland, in July 2013.

Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa sentenced Jose Luis Garcia-Saldivar, 29, to 121 months imprisonment. Garcia-Saldivar pleaded guilty the charges Sept. 4, 2012. He admitted he intended to have sex with a minor for money. Garcia-Saldivar asked the victim to send him photographs from her cell phone of herself which included sexually explicit conduct. Garcia-Saldivar's sentence was enhanced because the minor victim was only 14 years of age at the time. Garcia-Saldivar will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The arrests came after a two-year investigation by HSI Bogota special agents and the Colombian Attorney General's Technical Investigative Corps (CTI) Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU). The investigation found that the visa fraud scheme was orchestrated by a Colombian national identified as Erno Braulio Bula-Bula. Bula-Bula claimed that he could acquire and purchase U.S. visas for 8 million Colombian pesos (approximately $4,000 USD) through a contact at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. The contact was later determined to be fictitious, and no Embassy employees were found to be involved in the criminal acts.

Jesus Rios, 47, from Uvalde, was sentenced April 30 to 188 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Alia Moses also ordered Rios to serve five years of supervised release. Rios pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 5, 2013.

Mohammad Jamal Rashid, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Hittner to 27 months in federal prison for both counts of the conviction. Rashid pleaded guilty Jan. 10 to illegally importing and trafficking in counterfeit and misbranded drugs, and receiving and delivering misbranded drugs. As a non-U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings after he's released from prison.

Five men were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on multiple felony charges in connection with an alleged scheme to produce and distribute counterfeit Social Security and Permanent Resident Alien cards to aliens unlawfully present in the United States across three Alabama counties.

Jose Francisco Bonite-Sibri, aka Jose Sibri aka Alex Sibri aka Carlos Padilla, 46, of Philadelphia, was charged May 1 with illegal reentry after deportation. If convicted, Bonite-Sibri faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

Tong Yang, 45, of Stella, Missouri, pleaded guilty to the charge contained in a Jan. 21 federal indictment.

The Surenos, also known as Sur 13, is a transnational criminal street gang that originated in Southern California with hundreds of cliques around the United States. The Surenos and their affiliates pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia and the number '13' is their symbol signifying 'M' in the alphabet for Mexican Mafia.

The indictment of Han Woon Liew, 45, from Sugar Land, Texas, returned under seal April 16, was unsealed May 1 upon his arrest. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson May 2.

Carlo Colapelle, an influential member of the Italian mafia in Montreal and alleged leader of the operation, was among those arrested. All of the arrests occurred in greater Montreal.

Juan Adalberto Serpa-Flores, 36, was previously removed from the United States in 2009. In May 2010 the National Civil Police of El Salvador obtained an arrest warrant charging Serpa with aggravated homicide.

The event included a panel to discuss public-private partnerships in IP theft enforcement and featured discussions with IPR Center Director Lev Kubiak, National Football League Senior Vice President and Chief Litigation Officer Anastasia Danias, and Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General Miriam Vogel.

Yi Hui Chen, 47, a merchant in downtown Laredo, pleaded guilty to the counterfeiting charges May 16, 2013. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted Chen's guilty plea and sentenced him to 18 months in federal prison.

The indictment, handed down April 22 by a federal grand jury and unsealed Tuesday, charges 41 alleged members of a drug trafficking organization with conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base (crack), cocaine and marijuana, all for significant financial gain and profit.

Special agents with HSI and members of the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) arrested Altin Hasani, 40, aka Altin Hasni, at a Columbus residence without incident.

Robbie Newby, 46, of Grapeland, Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury April 17, 2013; he pleaded guilty Jan. 9, 2014 to sexually exploiting children. Newby was sentenced April 23 to 30 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis.

John Jaramillo, 44, of Albuquerque, was arrested April 24 by HSI special agents on a criminal complaint charging him with receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.