Skip to main content

News Releases and Statements

News Releases and Statements

Search Help:

The displayed items are limited to the latest 1,250 news releases that match your filter criteria. Please try narrowing your filter criteria by date, topic or location if you do not find the news release you are seeking.

February 13, 2023
|Partnership and Engagement, National Security
The CNMI and Guam are geographically isolated in the Pacific Ocean and nearly all available goods arrive by sea and air. Based on the Mariana Islands’ proximity to Asia, transnational criminal organizations use the CNMI and Guam as transit points for illegal activities.
October 5, 2021
|Narcotics
Following a probe by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Hawaii County Police Department, Samuel K. Kapoi, 35, pleaded guilty on May 25 to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
July 12, 2021
|Document and Benefit Fraud
Alejandro Nario, 65, and Mylene Casupanan, 42, both citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, were taken into custody, without incident, for possible involvement in a visa fraud scheme.
May 19, 2021
|Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives, Narcotics
Jonathan Tai, 36, of Kurtistown was arrested at his home Friday, following the execution of a search warrant at that location.
May 11, 2021
|Child Exploitation
HSI worked in cooperation with Hawaiʻi County Police to bust five men who intended to have sex with children, over the weekend. Nolan Okalani Tallett (46), Sonny Eugenio Puerto (29), Kanani Ikaika Perreir Yurong (31), Joseph Michael Powell (37), and Marshall Kawailani Baji (32) have been charged with electronic enticement of a child in the 1st degree.
April 23, 2021
|Child Exploitation
“Operation Keiki Shield,” was conducted as part of the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and included personnel from HSI Honolulu, NCIS, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
March 25, 2021
|Child Exploitation
Agents from the Honolulu Office of HSI arrested 65-year-old Victor Aguilar, of Kauai, Thursday morning. He faces two counts of sexual exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing child pornography.
March 16, 2021
|Child Exploitation
Operation Keiki Shield 7 was led by Maui Police Department and was part of a joint effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), including resources from HSI Honolulu, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General, the United States Secret Service and the FBI.
July 15, 2020
|Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives

As alleged in the superseding indictment, from at least in or about the late 1990s, up to and including the date of the superseding indictment, Michael J. Miske, Jr., aka “Bro,” John B. Stancil, Kaulana Freitas, aka “Shorty,” Lance L. Bermudez, aka “Hammah,” Dea Han Moon, aka “Dayday,” Preston M. Kimoto, Harry K. Kauhi, aka “Harry Boy,” Norman L. Akau III, Hunter J. Wilson, and Jarrin K. Young, the defendants, and others known and unknown, conspired to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of a racketeering enterprise, the “Miske Enterprise,” through a pattern of racketeering activity.

June 29, 2020
|Child Exploitation

Rian Harold Ishikawa, 42, of Kailua, was charged with one count of producing child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography.

September 17, 2019
|Financial Crimes

Fifteen individuals were charged in U.S. District Court today with illegal gambling, money laundering and other financial violations related to an ongoing investigation of a criminal organization operating multiple illegal game rooms and casinos on the island of Oahu.

July 31, 2019
|Child Exploitation
George Alexis Theros, 76, was arrested yesterday by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Honolulu and officers with the Maui Police Department.
October 26, 2018
|Child Exploitation

Michael Phillip Patrakis, 46, of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, was sentenced Thursday to 292 months in prison for producing child pornography of two minor females. The case is the result of a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Hawaii Police Department.

August 20, 2018
|Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives

Navor Salas-Cruz, 45, a Mexican national residing on Kauai, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright today to 30 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, and for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

July 30, 2018
|Child Exploitation

As part of his sentence, Christopher Ernest Fox, 21, was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim and her family, serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. 

June 26, 2017
|Financial Crimes

Johanne P. Jarlego, 44, of Kapolei, was indicted by a federal grand jury June 21 following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

June 21, 2017
|Child Exploitation

Donovan Soto, 54, of Ewa Beach, was previously convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography. The material recovered during the investigation included more than 94 movie files, 58 of which depicted children under the age of 12.

April 4, 2017
|Operational

Biyu Situ, 48, owned and operated the Blue Angel massage parlor, which served as a front for prostitution activity. According to evidence introduced in court, Situ offered an HSI special agent $5,000 to protect the facility - including giving advance notice about any enforcement actions by authorities.

February 2, 2017
|Intellectual Property Rights and Commercial Fraud
Bu Young Kim, 40, and Chan Hui Cho, 40, both of Brooklyn, New York, appeared in court Jan. 25 to answer to the charges, which stem from a probe by ICE's HSI and the FDA.
December 8, 2016
|Narcotics

If convicted of the most serious charges in the indictment, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum prison terms of 10 years. Other charges carry maximum terms of 40 years in prison. While the least serious drug offenses have maximum prison terms of 20 years. 

October 26, 2016
|Operational
“But those efforts are even more gratifying when we’re able to take money originally generated by illicit activities and harness it to combat crime. The Honolulu Police Department is a vital partner for HSI, and all of the federal law enforcement agencies in this community, and we’re delighted to be able assist the Department with its public safety mission.”
July 21, 2016
|Financial Crimes

Delvin Phuong Pham, aka Kevin Pham, 49, appeared in federal court before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan Oki Mollway. In addition to the prison term, Judge Mollway ordered the defendant to forfeit more than $96,000 in personal property and 14 illegal gambling machines.

April 1, 2016
|Contraband, Narcotics
Gilbert Lee Medina, 52, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Helen Gillmor. Medina was convicted by a jury last year of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Medina’s two prior drug felony convictions in California made imposition of the life sentence mandatory. There is no parole under current federal criminal law.
September 22, 2015
|Narcotics
Malia Arciero, 34, appeared Tuesday before Chief U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Molloway. In January, a federal grand jury convicted Arciero of four counts of intentionally distributing 50 or more grams of methamphetamine.
July 2, 2015
|Narcotics
Ruben Settle, 38, pleaded guilty March 12 to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maui Police Department.
Resource

Featured Story Archive

View ICE's featured stories

Resource

Multimedia

View images and videos

Updated: