News Releases and Statements

U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater sentenced all three men to federal prison: Francisco Javier Gutierrez-Alvarez, 33, sentenced to 70 months, Octavio Cabrera-Mayorquin, 28, sentenced to 63 months, and Guillermo Urenda-Bustos, 31, sentenced to 46 months.

Audry Lane, aka “Spud,” 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children in November 2016. Alvin Lane, aka “Spank,” 32,  also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children in October 2016.

Twenty-three of those arrested have criminal convictions for driving while intoxicated, two have multiple DWI convictions, and one of those convicted of DWI was given an enhanced sentence for driving with a 15-year-old minor at the time. Four of those arrested have criminal convictions for possessing a controlled substance.

Three members of a narcotics drug trafficking organization were indicted Tuesday and just over $4.1 million and six pounds of heroin were seized following a joint operation by ICE HSI El Dorado Task Force and the DEA New York DETF.

Dequan Deshawn Willard, 22, pleaded guilty in December 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Brothers, William Emmanuel Spence, 27, Jasmine Jamal Spence, 28, and Antonio Deon Ray Montgomery, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.

Joshua Lee Merritt, 25, of Tucson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins, who also ordered the defendant to register as sex offender and be subject to a lifetime of supervised release.

According to the indictment, Naeem Lateef Odums, 39, forced “Jane Doe” to engage in commercial sex acts in California and Virginia for nearly nine years. Odums used a combination of extreme physical violence, threats of violence, and threats of kidnapping Jane Doe’s children, and other forms of control to cause her to perform commercial sex acts.

In the past, seized cosmetics have been found to contain hazardous substances including cyanide, arsenic, mercury, lead, urine and rat droppings. Fake condoms will not guard the user against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

Joseph Jinn, also known as Tzong Hwan Jinn, 60, of Diamond Bar, admitted in a plea agreement filed in federal court that he imported Tadalafil, Sildenafil, and Dapoxetine – the active ingredients in pharmaceutical medications such as Viagra and Cialis – by falsely claiming to customs officials that the multi-kilogram shipments were “cooked powder and tools,” “Chinese bread baking mixture,” and other innocuous materials.

Samuel Benjamin Hernandez-Santacruz, 26, was flown to El Salvador March 21 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Hernandez was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).

Stefania Joaquina Campos Rezende, a 39-year-old citizen of Brazil, was arrested Feb. 14 by a Fugitive Operations Team assigned to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Baltimore. She was identified as a fugitive alien after an immigration judge issued her a final order of removal in 2006. She arrived at Belo Horizonte International Airport in Brazil yesterday and was turned over to local authorities to serve the sentence in her human trafficking conviction.

James Merrill, 55, of Ashland, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. In October 2016, Merrill pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and eight counts of wire fraud. He also agreed to forfeit approximately $140 million and other assets.

Rufus Seth Williams, 50, is charged with 10 counts of travel and use of interstate facilities to promote and facilitate bribery contrary to Pennsylvania law, two counts of Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right, five counts of honest services wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud.

Danica Agustin, 31, Mary Ann Buan, 43 and Jagvie Lopez, 21, were taken into custody March 19 by the NBI with assistance of HSI Manila. The arrests resulted in HSI and the NBI rescuing two children, ages 8 and 13 years old.

Diane Christina Deveaux was taken into custody Feb. 13 at her residence after investigators with the Imperial Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (IV-ICAC) discovered evidence of child molestation during a search of her apartment.

Michael Theodore Mordaunt, 47, of Cypress, pleaded guilty to 19 felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a specified crime, five felony counts of lewd acts upon a child age 14 or 15, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, three felony counts of meeting a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct, one felony count of possession and control of child pornography, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for substantial sexual conduct with a child.

ICE officers in the ERO Philadelphia field office helped prevent a murder suspect from fleeing the country one day and helped apprehend a fleeing suspect the next day earlier this month.

Special Agent Vaughn Harper and Special Agent Cara Rose, both reporting to the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) regional office in Baltimore, Maryland, were presented with citations after providing key human trafficking prevention training to thousands of individuals in Maryland representing federal, state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, faith-based groups and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The 19 community leaders selected to attend the academy underwent an eight-week course where they experienced a unique opportunity to learn about the agency in an active environment that included classroom instruction as well as practical exercises.

ERO’s Washington, D.C.-based Fugitive Operations Team arrested Henry Parada-Orellana, 26, Sept. 1, 2015, at the 6000 block of Springfield Mall Drive in Springfield, Virginia. Upon his arrest, ERO deportation officers charged Parada-Orellana with felony re-entry charges since he was a previously removed alien.

Gabriel Rivero, 41, appeared in federal court Tuesday before U.S. Senior District Judge Frank R. Zapata. At the sentencing, Judge Zapata ordered that Rivero will be subject to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.