News Releases and Statements

Si Liu, 36, and her codefendants Ye Wang, 32, and Yang Gao, 33, conspired to move and conceal proceeds obtained through prostitution.

Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, 51, and Prince Amos Okey Ezemma, 49, of Madrid, Spain; and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, Emmanuel Samuel, 39, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, of London, face federal charges in Miami.

As part of ongoing efforts to combat cyber crimes and online financial fraud, HSI launched an awareness campaign yesterday – Valentine’s Day – to educate the public on dangers associated with online romance scams and how individuals can protect themselves and loved ones.

Gladstone Njokem, 36, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Feb. 3, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1.3 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment insurance benefits.  

According to the HSI Norfolk investigation, George William Evans, 68, participated in a conspiracy to harbor, transport, and benefit from the employment of undocumented noncitizens at the commercial laundry business he co-owned.

ERO Miami, in partnership with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Giovanni Radu, a 22-year-old citizen of Italy who entered the United States as a nonimmigrant and violated the terms of his admission. ERO Miami detained Radu in Royal Palm Harbor.

Nosuk Kim, 61, of Newport News, was sentenced to 52 months in prison Jan. 5 and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine for evading the assessment of her 2015- and 2016-income tax returns.

An HSI Jacksonville investigation led to the sentencing of Oscar Molina-Avila to four years and four months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to impede the lawful functions of the IRS.

In recent months, HSI Houston has seen a significant increase in scammers using this tactic to make their phone number appear to be from a legitimate source in order to collect sensitive information from the public that can then be used to commit financial fraud or identity theft.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the United States, including HSI, executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown Nov. 2 of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars. Arrests, searches, and seizures took place in California, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wyoming. In total, 21 individuals in five states have been arrested and/or charged for their roles in the conspiracy.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the theft of several semi-trailers and loads of frozen beef in Lancaster County, Nebraska, June 27.

The briefing covered trends in cryptocurrency, cyber-enabled crimes, bulk cash smuggling, and money laundering. Briefers also discussed the role that intelligence and technology play in combatting these crimes and how these crimes permeate the breadth of HSI’s investigative mission set.

As part of Operation Poyais, the Brazilian Federal Police executed 20 search and seizure warrants in the states of Parana, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for multiple violations of Brazilian criminal statutes.

As early as July and August 2020, Darris Cotton submitted at least 16 fraudulent applications for unemployment using other people’s names, dates of birth, and social security numbers.

Ghacham Inc. and Mohamed Ghacham admitted that, between July 2011 and February 2021, they undervalued imported garments by more than $32 million and failed to pay customs duties approximately $6,390,792.

Okanlawon Azeez Egerongbe, aka Tony Kunle, Alex Tohee, 37, of Round Rock, was sentenced Aug. 26 by a federal judge to serve to 120 months in federal prison and pay $633,520 in restitution. On May 18, 2021, Egerongbe pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Corey Cato, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $1,908,481 in restitution. Cato pleaded guilty on May 9 to one count of conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The individuals arrested pursuant to state arrest warrants for engaging in organized criminal activity include Timothy Ngo, 51, Henry Pham, 55, Quoc Bao Le, 39, Tran Le, 45, and Tram Le, 47.

Denis Matute pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence on Nov. 2, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Jessica Medrano, 41, was indicted with one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud, and 12 counts of wire fraud. Medrano pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Danielle Ice, 34, of Columbia, is the last of seven defendants indicted in this case to plead guilty. Ice’s husband and co-defendant Leslie Ice, 37, as well as co-defendants Cody Ryder, 31, Enx Khoshaba, 29, and Eric Kaltenbach, 37, all of Springfield, and Evan Marshall, 24, and Camren Joseph Davis, 25, of Rogersville, have also pleaded guilty.

The individuals arrested pursuant to state arrest warrants for their alleged roles in the theft ring were Jose Martinez, 19; Armando Martinez, 18; Isaac Castillo, 21; Terance Elder, 20; and Armando Martinez Sr., 39; all residents of Houston, and Jose Sanchez, a 21-year-old resident of Dayton, Texas.

Alejandro Amaro, HSI acting special agent in charge, presented the poster-sized checks to Maverick and Dimmit County Sheriffs’ Departments.

Federal law enforcement partners, including HSI, the FBI, the Federal Reserve Board, and the IRS Criminal Investigation, were integral to the DOJ’s announcement today of criminal charges against six defendants in four separate cases for their alleged involvement in cryptocurrency-related fraud, including the largest known Non-Fungible Token (NFT) scheme charged to date, a fraudulent investment fund that purportedly traded on cryptocurrency exchanges, a global Ponzi scheme involving the sale of unregistered crypto securities, and a fraudulent initial coin offering.

Sheldon Shaun Hibbert, 43, most recently of Orlando, Florida, previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.