News Releases and Statements

Dorian Velasquez, 43, pleaded guilty to having unlawfully obtained his U.S. citizenship and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and automatic revocation of his citizenship.

Deportation officers from ERO Washington, D.C.’s Special Response Team arrested Geovany Alex Pineda-Echeverria June 28 in Woodbridge, Virginia.

HSI San Juan special agents arrested Luis Javier Perez-Badillo, a 49-year-old man from Aguadilla, whom a federal grand jury indicted April 10.

Juan Carlos Munoz, 42, of Mission, pleaded guilty March 29 before U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa.

On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Robert Davis, a 67-year-old naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Malaysia, with naturalization fraud.

ICE ERO Chicago arrested 28 noncitizens with sex offense convictions during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizen sex offenders. The operation ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

ERO New York City Fugitive Operations officers apprehended 32 unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of sex offenses during a nationwide law enforcement effort from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

On Feb. 29, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico indicted Kiara Ramos Melendez, 29, with one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child exploitation material.

According to court documents, from December 2022 through Jan. 25, 2023, Marrero Casanova used a cellphone and instant messaging services to persuade, induce, entice and coerce two 15-year-old boys to engage in sexual activity so he could produce a visual depiction of it.

On Aug. 2, 2023, HSI agents notified the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Apprehension Team that they had discovered Joshuah Cruz Eberhart, 25, of Clay Springs, was distributing child sex abuse material online.

ICE ERO New Orleans officers apprehended six unlawfully present noncitizen sex offenders during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizens that ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

Carl Stephen Smith Jr., 33, of Green Cove Springs, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. Smith has remained in custody since his arrest on Jan. 31, 2023.

ERO Boston apprehended un unlawfully present Salvadoran national and registered sex offender Jan. 26 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Officers with ICE's ERO Seattle removed Igor Lekomtsev, 45, a citizen of Russia, Jan. 26.

According to court documents, Harold Lee McMullen possessed more than 400 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Authorities obtained a search warrant after discovering that his computer’s IP address exchanged child sexual abuse material over BitTorrent. McMullen was arrested Aug. 15, 2023, and pleaded guilty Sept. 14, 2023.

The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by HSI, arrested Elvin Jhohanie Molina-Rosado, a 35-year-old man from Corozal.

HSI began investigating Victor Francisco Mendez, 35, of Douglas, in June 2023, when the Douglas Police Department received information from the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

According to court documents, from November 2022 to December 2023, Lopez-Lebron recruited, enticed, harbored and transported a girl between the ages of 11 and 12 for commercial sex.

Abiel Alejandro Saldivar, 33, of San Antonio, was sentenced by a federal judge to 360 months in prison with a lifetime of supervised release and $45,000 in restitution. The judge also ordered him to pay $55,100 in special assessments.

Project iGuardian is a leader in the fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Over 1,000 students, teachers and school staff received valuable information on cyberbullying, child exploitation and the transfer of sexually explicit images.

Jose Angel Hinojosa Jr., 36, of Weslaco, pleaded guilty Jan. 19 before U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey. As part of his plea, Hinojosa admitted to attempting to smuggle more than 40 firearms.

Deportation officers with ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team apprehended a 27-year-old undocumented noncitizen charged with crimes related to soliciting a child and indecent exposure.

Paz Gomez-Magdaleno, a 43-year-old resident of Cameron County, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 60, 120 and 240 months for the transportation of undocumented noncitizens, possession of child pornography, and enticement of a minor, respectively.

Tenorio pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2023, admitting that he transported two of his victims from California to Arizona and Texas for the purpose of offering them for commercial sex for his own financial gain.

Cory Johns, 42, of Nicholasville, was identified in November 2015, when the Lexington Police Department connected with him via a file sharing program and downloaded images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.