News Releases and Statements

A Guatemalan national who admitted playing a central role in a large-scale human smuggling organization that brought thousands of illegal aliens from Central America to Southern California, often holding them against their will in so-called drop houses, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison.

During part of the conspiracy, payments totaling $3,000 were made to one of the women.

Taylor Smith Hills was arrested last week on drug-related money laundering charges and indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver Jan. 29.

A Mexican woman, Yessica Chanel Cabanillas-Torres, pleaded guilty Thursday to smuggling nearly two kilograms of heroin in her luggage when she arrived at George Bush-Intercontinental Airport (IAH) from Ecuador.

Andrew Dale McKee was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in federal prison, after he pleaded guilty in October 2012 to sending obscene material to a minor.

Margaret Ellen Jones, 37, of Parkville, Md., pleaded guilty Feb. 6 to conspiracy to produce child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Baltimore County Police Department.

Five individuals and five corporations have been charged in an indictment unsealed today for allegedly importing hazardous and counterfeit toys from China for sale in the United States.

Edmundo Olivera, 68, was arrested at his place of residence in Reparto Metropolitano, San Juan, after a preliminary analysis of the materials seized by HSI during the execution of a search warrant at his residence revealed the presence of approximately 300 sexual explicit images of child pornography.

A memorandum of cooperation was signed Feb. 6 to memorialize a joint commitment to continue the Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU) in Afghanistan and set forth principles of cooperation between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Ministry of Interior of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Daniel Jimenez of Fort Meyers, Fla., was sentenced to time served - eight months - Wednesday for assisting his father with providing false identification documents to illegal aliens. The sentence is the result of an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The arrests were part of an investigation dubbed Operation Wooley Swamp.

Two owners of an online clothing business, along with one of their relatives, were arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States of customs duties, mail fraud, structuring of cash transactions and money laundering.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton spoke at the Chatham House in London, United Kingdom Tuesday, Feb. 5.

As part its enforcement strategy to reduce illegal employment and protect job opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce, U.S. ICE announced Tuesday that 10 employers in San Diego and Imperial counties were fined by ICE during fiscal year 2012 for various employment-related violations.

Letha Montemayor Tucker, the woman initially charged as 'Jane Doe' in a recent child pornography case is now also accused of child sex trafficking. ICE is again seeking the public's assistance in identifying the John Doe in this case.

A Rhode Island man has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography outside of the United States, and subsequently transporting it back into the country. When sentenced, the man faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release.

An Iowa man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving images of child pornography and transmitting obscene material to a minor under the age of 16 years old.

Young-Woo Ji from Bayside, N.Y., pleaded guilty Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and false claims.

Hilton Cordero-Rosario, the former commissioner of the San Juan Police Department, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography Friday. On Dec. 8, 2011, Cordero-Rosario was arrested by HSI special agents on production and possession of child pornography charges.

Erik Alan Garza appeared Monday in San Antonio federal court following his extradition from Mexico Friday on federal charges of smuggling prohibited defense articles. These defense items included: night-vision monocular goggles, a thermal goggle, 400 sets of AR-15 front and rear flip-up tactical sights, about 5,000 high-capacity assault rifle...

Martin R. Bujaky pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to being part of a conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens employed in the hotel housekeeping industry near Pittsburgh, as well as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio, by knowingly preparing false tax returns on behalf of their employers.

A Kingsville, Texas, man was found guilty Monday of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Tri Tran, aka Tony, 35, a citizen of Vietnam unlawfully in the country and residing in Maryland, pleaded guilty Friday to mail fraud in connection with a scheme to skim credit card account data and re-encode the data onto different credit cards used to buy merchandise at retail stores.

Roger Lee Loughry Sr., 57, of Baltimore, was found guilty Thursday by a federal jury, and was sentenced Friday to serve 30 years in prison for his participation in a global online child pornography conspiracy.