News Releases and Statements

The arrests of James Lee Hickerson, 35, his father Neil Lee Hickerson, 56, both of Greshem, and his girlfriend Carolyn M. Knudsen, 28, of Camas, Washington, stem from an Interagency Child Exploitation Prevention Team (INTERCEPT) investigation.

John C. Vastis, aka "Pete," 51, of Lakemoor, Illinois, which straddles Lake and McHenry counties, was arrested at his home Aug. 28 by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the same time they executed a federal search warrant.

According to the investigation, Sean Cantelmo, age 28, allegedly conspired with others to coerce a minor female to engage in prostitution and illegal sexual activity during February through May 2014.

Todd Tackwell, 39, formerly of Hastings, Nebraska, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. This sentence will run concurrently with his California prison sentence, and will be followed by a 35- to 45-year prison sentence in Nebraska for a similar crime.

Kevin Francis Kelley, 45, of Halethorpe, was also ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and register as a sex offender. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $3,000.

HSI special agents arrested Denis Victor Courchesne, 45, of Canada, at the Luis Muniz International Airport when he arrived in San Juan from Panama City, Panama and CBP officers found child pornography in some of the electronic equipment he carried during a routine inspection.

HSI special agents arrested William Rodriguez-Lebron, 35, in Guaynabo after receiving information from the Puerto Rico Police Department's (PRPD) Sexual Crimes Division regarding the alleged transportation by Rodriguez-Lebron of a 15-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe, with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

HSI special agents arrested Israel Berrios-Berrios May 13 at his residence in Naranjito following an indictment that charged him with transporting a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

Ruben A. Vazquez, 40, of Del Rio, was sentenced Aug. 20 before U.S District Judge Alia Moses, who ordered him to serve 120 months in federal prison, pay a $ 5,000 fine and be placed under supervised release for ten years after completing his prison term.

On Feb. 3, Thomas Andrew Taylor, 53, of Grifton, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. On March 26, he pleaded guilty to that charge.

According to court documents, Sierra Danyelle Halsey, 23, became involved in the conspiracy when she was contacted by co-conspirator Robert Harold Scott Jr. under his assumed online identity of "Mike Pyro."

Justin Turcheck, 29, of Abilene, Texas, who is on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

David P. Harlan, pleaded guilty in January 2014 to the charge first lodged in 2010. Following a lead from German law enforcement, investigators obtained a search warrant in March 2010. The search of Harlan's home turned up more than 5,300 images and nearly 200 videos of child pornography on 10 computers and other digital storage media.

Jesse Oziah, 19, previously pleaded guilty in February to two counts of production of child pornography.

Gregory Bogomol, 38, of Fort Worth, was arrested in May on a related federal criminal complaint and has been in custody since that time. He was employed by the Denton (Texas) Independent School District as a teacher at Denton High School. He resigned from that position the week before his arrest.

Juan Carlos Hernandez, 44, of El Paso, Texas, faces 10 years in federal prison, according to the terms of his plea agreement. His prison sentence is to be followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Hernandez also will be required to register as a sex offender.

Christopher L. Modglin, 45, of Stotts City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to manufacture child pornography.

Eric Lee Bederson, 37, an inmate at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to two counts of distributing child pornography.

Kirk Simmons, 60, of Newark, Delaware, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence and register as a sex offender.

John Mordecai Scott, 58, of Lake Forest, was taken into custody Friday by HSI special agents and Orange County sheriff's deputies on a state charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Specifically, Scott is suspected of showing and taking lewd photographs of a minor female victim at his residence and place of employment.

Aaron Lewis Gaudinier, 50, of Madera, appeared in federal court Monday. Upon completion of the prison term, U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill ordered that Gaudinier be subject to 15 years of supervised release.

Steven Christopher Montes, 25, of Visalia, was taken into custody Friday by investigators from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Montes is charged with multiple counts of producing and possessing child pornography.

Erik Leroy Clark, 35, of Joplin, Missouri, was charged via criminal complaint with one count of attempting to entice a minor for illicit sexual activity.

HSI special agents arrested Jonathan E. Clemente-Semidey, 27, after a referral from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit led to an investigation that revealed that a person with Clemente-Semidey's computer IP address logged onto the Internet and shared child pornography on numerous occasions through Ares, a peer to peer file sharing application.

Victor Jerome Reza, 53, was arrested Tuesday at his home by HSI special agents assigned to HSI's Cyber Crimes Group, who have been investigating him since January.