News Releases and Statements

Marco Antonio Nava Jr., 19, and Joseph Edmond Cleveland, 25, both of El Paso, made their appearances Nov. 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington.

The task force will fight human trafficking in Hampton Roads by identifying, rescuing, and restoring victims; building awareness about the realities of human trafficking in the region and across Virginia; and investigating and prosecuting trafficking crimes. 

Over a two-day period, authorities arrested four defendants in Mexico and two in Queens, New York, as part of a coordinated bilateral law enforcement action. The six defendants are Raul Romero-Granados, aka Chicarcas and El Negro, 32; Isaac Lomeli-Rivera, aka Giro, 34; Efrain Granados-Corona, aka Chavito and Cepillo, 41; Alan Romero-Granados, aka El Flaco, 24; Pedro Rojas-Romero, 37; and Emilio Rojas-Romero, 34.  Juan Romero-Granados, aka Chegoya and El Guero, remains a fugitive.

Jaquan Casanova aka “Cass,” “Joffe,” “Joffy,” and “Joffy Joe,” 24, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 28 years in prison and five years of supervised release.  

Jason Prawl, aka “Boots,” 28, of Bridgeport, Connecticut made a first appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.

Cristian Garcia, 21, of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for sex trafficking children and was also ordered to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term. A co-defendant in this matter, Mackenzy Scott, 20, of Providence, pleaded guilty on September 20, 2016, to conspiracy to sex trafficking children. 

Sandra Nsobundu, 49, Chudy Nsobundu, 57, wife and husband from Katy, Texas, pleaded guilty to forced-labor charges; the husband also pleaded guilty to visa fraud.

Calvin Anthony Miller, aka “Serious,” 34, and his cousin, Henry Dailey, 36, were charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Miller and Dailey remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Oct. 20.

Devon Brown, 24, of Everett, Massachusetts, is alleged to have transported a woman from Massachusetts to Rhode Island for the purpose of commercial sexual activity.

Shane Roach, 27, was arrested July 1, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with sex trafficking.  Roach subsequently was indicted and charged with using force, threats and coercion to force a victim to engage in commercial sex acts.  

On April 6, 2015, authorities tracked a cell phone in the possession of the missing teenager to Franklin Township, New Jersey. HSI and FBI special agents, and police officers from Franklin Township located the missing girl and Monteiro in a hotel room in Franklin Township.

Pedro Chavez-Bautista, 35, pleaded guilty June 28 to one count of human smuggling. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, who also ordered the defendant, who had been imprisoned since December, to serve an additional eight months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

Mario Rodriguez-Gomez, 25, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos.  He is also expected to face deportation proceedings following his release from prison.

On May 26, a federal jury in El Paso found Lawrence Madrid, 54, guilty of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, aiding and abetting alien smuggling for financial gain, and two substantive counts of accepting a bribe.

Noe Aranda-Soto, aka Diablo, 36, of San Carlos, Michoacan, Mexico, pleaded guilty May 31 to the following charges:  kidnapping resulting in death, using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death, and conspiracy to transport aliens for private financial gain resulting in death.

Willie Dwayne Mickey, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz, who described the defendant as “every parent’s nightmare.” 

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone sentenced Paul Esteban Estrella Villota, 40, of Cuenca, Ecuador, and his wife Magaly Alemania Malagon Sandoya, 42, to six years and five years in federal prison, respectively. Judge Cardone also ordered both defendants each to pay a $5,000 special assessment and be placed on supervised release for three years after they the complete their prison terms.

During Friday’s operation, defendant Connie Su Moser, aka “Vivian” and “Song Ye Hong,” 63, was arrested at her home in Lewisville, Texas.  Defendant Kum Shugars, 67, was arrested at the Doll House.  Moser is the owner of the Doll House; Shugars is one of the managers.  In addition to the arrests, the Task Force seized about $420,000 from Moser’s home, about $70,000 in her bank accounts, and her 2015 Lexus automobile.

Timothy Jones, 26, of Memphis, Tennessee, was also sentenced to restitution to the victims in the amount of $13,688, a special assessment of $800, and supervised release after the term of imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman.