News Releases and Statements

Audry Lane, aka “Spud,” 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children in November 2016. Alvin Lane, aka “Spank,” 32,  also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children in October 2016.

According to the indictment, Naeem Lateef Odums, 39, forced “Jane Doe” to engage in commercial sex acts in California and Virginia for nearly nine years. Odums used a combination of extreme physical violence, threats of violence, and threats of kidnapping Jane Doe’s children, and other forms of control to cause her to perform commercial sex acts.

Stefania Joaquina Campos Rezende, a 39-year-old citizen of Brazil, was arrested Feb. 14 by a Fugitive Operations Team assigned to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Baltimore. She was identified as a fugitive alien after an immigration judge issued her a final order of removal in 2006. She arrived at Belo Horizonte International Airport in Brazil yesterday and was turned over to local authorities to serve the sentence in her human trafficking conviction.

Special Agent Vaughn Harper and Special Agent Cara Rose, both reporting to the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) regional office in Baltimore, Maryland, were presented with citations after providing key human trafficking prevention training to thousands of individuals in Maryland representing federal, state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, faith-based groups and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Miguel Arcef-Flores, 42, received a 40-month prison term; his brother-in-law, Angel Sandoval Mondragon, 37, was sentenced to 36 months in prison; and Arcef-Flores’ wife, Marabella Sandoval Mondragon, 38, was sentenced to 34 months in prison.

Joseph Edmond Cleveland, 25, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis to 15 months in prison. In handing down the sentence, Judge Jack noted an aggravating factor that Cleveland attempted to use his status as a serviceman to avoid detection.

More than 80 stakeholders attended the forum, representing close to 25 agencies from the surrounding Philadelphia region. 

To date, 13 members of the Granados organization have been indicted in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on sex trafficking charges. Raul Granados-Rendon was the last fugitive to be arrested and extradited to face the charges.

Nileshkumar Patel, 42, and Harsad Mehta, 68, both of India, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to separate superseding information charging them each with one count of conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) recognizes that severe consequences of human trafficking continue even after perpetrators have been arrested. ICE’s Victim Assistance Program (VAP) helps coordinate services such as crisis intervention, counseling and emotional support to help human trafficking victims.

January is recognized as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month but ICE HSI will be conducting anti-human trafficking training throughout 2017 and beyond. In fact, HSI has a record high 22 international and 32 domestic training events planned for 2017.

In addition to his 15-year prison sentence, David Milner, 29, was also ordered to be placed on supervised release for five years after completing his prison term.

Olga Sandra Murra, 64, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a total of $795,000 in restitution to her two victims.  Murra has been in federal custody since her conviction in August 2016 on two counts of forced labor and two counts of harboring illegal aliens. 

This year marks the seventh anniversary of January as National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention month. ICE participates in a variety of human trafficking awareness events in January and throughout the year.

The newly formed HSI-led task force has been awarded a grant by the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to combat both labor and sex trafficking in the region.

The jury returned its verdict against Galdino Jose Ruiz-Hernandez Jan. 11 after a two-day trial. Ruiz-Hernandez was initially arrested for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported; he was later charged with alien smuggling as well.

Victor James Sporman, 46, who previously resided in Bellflower, was named in a two-count indictment returned Tuesday afternoon by a federal grand jury. The indictment charges Sporman with attempted sex trafficking of a child and using the internet to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

SFCAHT was established December 2009 as a result of efforts between government and non-governmental organizations to tackle the issue of human trafficking in San Francisco. SFCAHT is committed to ending human trafficking through the advocacy and actions of anti-trafficking advocates, policy experts, and governmental organizations, including the law enforcement community.

Mackenzy Scott, 21, of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on September 20, 2016. A co-defendant in this matter, Cristian Garcia, 21, also of Providence, pleaded guilty in May 2016 to his role in the conspiracy. He was sentenced on October 27, 2016, to 24 months in federal prison to be followed by 5 years supervised release.

Wilmer Chavez Romero aka “Charmin,” 27, is charged by indictment with one count each of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to harbor aliens resulting in death; two counts of using a firearm for a violent crime; and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering.

Lawrence Gunn Jr., 32, was taken into custody based on a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court that charges him with sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud or coercion.

Marco Antonio Nava Jr., 19, and Joseph Edmond Cleveland, 25, both from El Paso, Texas, admitted they smuggled two illegal aliens through the Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas. 

Paul Carter, 46, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Wisconsin Nov. 21 to eight counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.

Nathan Oliva, 30, pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to sex trafficking children and was sentenced to 365 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.