News Releases and Statements

Julio Puente-Oliva, from Mexico, was sentenced April 27 by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to 70 months in federal prison for conspiring to harbor illegal aliens. The court enhanced the sentence because he raped the victim and brandished a dangerous weapon during the course of the conspiracy.

Peter Steve Plesinger, 55, of Sahuarita, and Stephen Edward Smith, 63, of Tucson, were sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto. Plesinger received a term of 87 months. Smith was sentenced to 102 months in prison. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to exporting munitions to Hong Kong, dealing firearms without a license, and money laundering. Two other defendants, Irina Cvetkovic and Earl Richmond, both of Sahuarita, were charged and convicted for lessor roles in the conspiracy. 

Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 43, a citizen of Singapore, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the U.S. to Iran, at least 14 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.

Thiodore Igorovich Galista was arrested Tuesday morning by OPR special agents without incident in New York.  According to the complaint, he was removed by federal authorities on three prior occasions, most recently in 2011, following a federal conviction for re-entry.

Of those arrested by ICE during the enforcement action, which was conducted from April 18-21, 57 had criminal records that included felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as lewd & lascivious behavior, sexual battery, child sex crimes, sex offenses, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, weapons charges and drug violations. Additionally, 19 had less serious or violent violations to include; larceny, petty theft, trespass, driving under the influence, fraud, driving with no driver’s license.

Isaiah Moore-Brown, 28, was charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base, and with possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, from Dec. 1, 2012 through Jan. 11, 2017.

George Lester Stewart, 61, from Wheeler, Michigan, was sentenced April 25 by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to 71-months in federal prison for attempting to smuggle 10 illegal aliens in the back of a Penske rental truck.

Candelario Antonio Herrera, 27, was flown to El Salvador April 25 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Herrera was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC). 

A “sham” marriage is a marriage that is entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing U.S. immigration laws. All 11 defendants conspired together in connection with a marriage fraud ring involving arranging “sham” marriages between recruited U.S. citizens and recruited Nigerian nationals. Evidence at trial revealed Alabi searched for and recruited Nigerian nationals at nightclubs.

Jason Shiao, also known as “Zheng Yi Xiao,” 67, who operated the Pasadena-based Jason (USA) International Law Corporation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer.

Enrique Ariza Rivas, 49, a Colombian citizen, has been charged in Colombia, together with other former officials of the DAS, with aggravated psychological torture of a journalist. Ariza Rivas has also been charged in Colombia for various crimes relating to unlawful wiretapping.

The operation began April 17 and Houston ERO officers made arrests in the following Texas counties:  Brazoria (7), Ft. Bend (2), Galveston (4), Harris (59), Liberty (3), Matagorda (4), Montgomery (13), and Wharton (3). Of those arrested, 87 were men; eight were women. The ERO Houston area of responsibility includes 54 counties in Southeast Texas.

Walter Reyes-Aparicio, 23, was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for a Nov. 13, 2010, aggravated homicide in El Salvador.

The defendants are Jovan Rendon-Reyes, aka Jovani, 33, of Mexico; Saul Rendon-Reyes, aka Satanico, 39, of Queens; Guillermina Rendon-Reyes, 46, of Mexico; Francisco Rendon-Reyes, aka Pancho, 28, of Queens; Jose Rendon-Garcia, aka Gusano, 34, of Mexico; Felix Rojas, 47, of Mexico; Odilon Martinez-Rojas, aka Chino or Saul, 45, of Mexico; and Severiano Martinez-Rojas, 52, of Mexico. 

Richard Hennis, 41, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a co-defendant, Brandi Leonard, were first charged by criminal complaints on March 11, 2016.

Santiago Humberto Rodriguez-Aparicio, 41, was flown to El Salvador April 21 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Rodriguez-Aparicio was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).

Monica Velasco, the 43-year-old sister of Dalia, Emmanuel and Samuel, remains a fugitive in this case. Monica Velasco is charged with conspiracy to violate the RICO statute, two money laundering counts and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and import over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

According to documents filed in the case, Jeffrey Neal Cuddington, 38, used his computers to search on the internet for images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Shane Roach, 27, was sentenced April 13. His prison sentence is to be followed by five years of supervised release, and he must register as a sex offender when he completes his sentence.

William Allen Patterson, 34, from Alamogordo, New Mexico, must also register as a sex offender after he completes his sentence. Patterson was arrested Aug. 10, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing and receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity from 2002 to 2012, and on Aug. 10, 2016, in Otero County, New Mexico.

Kyle J. Tate, 34, was arrested in May and pleaded guilty in November after another individual implicated him in the collection and sharing of child pornography. HSI special agents acted swiftly in obtaining a federal search warrant to seize digital devices located in Tate’s home due to his proximity to children at the Hutch Kids Child Care Center where he worked.

A federal criminal complaint was filed April 21 against Luis Cesar Avalos-Hernandez, 32, Alvaro Cruz-Suarez, 27, and Giovanni Arrelola-Villalobos, 21, all from Mexico. They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy on Tuesday, April 25.