News Releases and Statements

Sergei Litvinenko, a Ukrainian national charged as part of a multiagency federal investigation into a worldwide online marketplace for stolen personal and financial information, was arraigned in federal court Monday following his extradition Friday from Croatia.

Jose Rolando Renderos was apprehended in February 2013 after he received a box of more than 3,000 counterfeit credit cards imported from China and led law enforcement on a high-speed chase through the San Gabriel Valley.

David Ray Camez, 22, of Phoenix, Ariz., was convicted of one count of participating in a racketeer-influenced corrupt organization and one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeer-influenced corrupt organization. Camez, whose sentencing is set for April 10, 2014, faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Doru Gabriel Trifu, 29, was sentenced to 96 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge John Rainey to be followed by three years supervised release. Trifu was further ordered to pay $562,240 in restitution.

Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba, 56, the former governor of the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Fernando Alejandro Cano Martinez, 57, the owner of a Mexican construction firm, are indicted on RICO charges.

Hector Javier Villarreal Hernandez, 42, former Secretary of Finance for the Mexican State of Coahuila, and Jorge Juan Torres Lopez, 59, former Interim Governor and Secretary of Finance for Coahuila, charged with conspiring to launder monetary instruments and bank fraud.

These latest sentences were announced U.S. Attorney by Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jose Torres, aka 'Jose Quilestorres,' aka 'Carlos Jose Luis,' 47, of Bronx, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to conspiracy to defraud the United States, theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.

Two Romanian natives residing in Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty Wednesday to a scheme to steal account information from bank customers throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut by installing secret card-reading devices on ATMs.

Althea Angela Peart and Charmaine Anne King were arrested Monday for their roles in a fraudulent lottery scam.

Gjergj Kol Mihilli, 61, of Gilbert, was sentenced Monday to 51 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow, after previously pleading guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. In addition to the prison term, Snow ordered Mihilli to pay a fine of more than $302,000.

The indictment indicates the money was proceeds of illegal narcotics sales belonging Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including the Gulf Cartel.

The owners of two El Cajon neighborhood markets are expected to appear in state court tomorrow on charges they defrauded a state and federal food stamp program out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Eight individuals arrested last week in Jamaica for their involvement in a fraudulent lottery scheme were charged Friday with various criminal violations.

DGA Director Juan Fernando Fernandez hosted the Sept. 26 signing ceremony and U.S. Charge d' Affairs to the Dominican Republic Daniel L. Foote also attended.

The defendant, Doru Gabriel Trifu, allegedly conducted more than 230 fraudulent transactions with Internet purchasers in Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

Forty-three individuals were arrested Tuesday for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and drug trafficking.

According to U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr., the scheme targeted elderly citizens throughout the United States, including two seniors living in western New York.

Two women pleaded guilty Monday to charges resulting from their roles in a large-scale identity-theft scheme.

Saddle River Valley Bank agreed Tuesday to pay an $8.2 million penalty and a number of related regulatory actions to settle claims that it violated anti-money laundering laws.

If convicted, Pedro Benevides, 44, of Astatula, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, a $1 million fine for each of 19 charged counts and a monetary judgment of $44 million - the proceeds of the charged conspiracy.

New Jersey man pleads guilty to role in identity theft ring, tax evasion

A federal grand jury indicted two New Jersey men on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud equity investors and asset-based lenders in medical accounts receivable of more than $275 million.

Pecoraro admitted he wrote checks for unauthorized cash withdrawals for personal use.

A defense attorney for notorious Puerto Rican drug lord Jose D. Figueroa-Agosto and a legal broker were arrested Tuesday on money laundering charges by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents. Negron-Colon and Barreto-Ortiz allegedly attempted to nullify Figueroa-Agosto's 208-year sentence by making illegal payments.