News Releases and Statements

Timothy Paul Barth, 66, is charged with possession and receipt of child pornography. He is currently in federal custody.

After deliberating about three hours, a jury convicted William Ali, 38, of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and attempting to violate the Act. He remains in federal custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled March 16.

Tristalyn Valencia, 30, from Farmington, New Mexico, must also register as a sex offender after she's released from prison.

Malik Yousaf, 55, carried out his elaborate scheme by using stolen identities and harboring illegal aliens employed at 7-Eleven, Inc. (7-Eleven) franchise stores located throughout Long Island and Virginia. 

According to Guatemalan authorities, Pedro Lopez-Raymundo, 27, is accused of attempted murder.

James VanBlaricum, 77, has been in custody since his arrest in mid-August 2016 by U.S. Postal Inspectors on a related federal criminal complaint.

SFCAHT was established December 2009 as a result of efforts between government and non-governmental organizations to tackle the issue of human trafficking in San Francisco. SFCAHT is committed to ending human trafficking through the advocacy and actions of anti-trafficking advocates, policy experts, and governmental organizations, including the law enforcement community.

The operation, named “Surge Protector”, will focus on electronics vulnerable to counterfeiting, including phony digital media devices, power adapters and consumer technology powered by lithium ion batteries. 

Mansour Moghtaderi Zadeh, 56, an Iranian national, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release. Zadeh was also ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $69,159.

Mackenzy Scott, 21, of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on September 20, 2016. A co-defendant in this matter, Cristian Garcia, 21, also of Providence, pleaded guilty in May 2016 to his role in the conspiracy. He was sentenced on October 27, 2016, to 24 months in federal prison to be followed by 5 years supervised release.

Humberto Bautista-Sanchez, 64, was transferred to the custody of representatives from Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration officials by ERO’s Special Response Team at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

A California man was sentenced Tuesday to more than 11 years in federal prison following his conviction for his part in a conspiracy to traffic 132 kilograms (291 lbs.) of methamphetamine through South Texas.

Sean Gerson, 48, the owner of a business called Vaccination Services in Lake Forest, was taken into custody by special agents with ICE HSI, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and the EPA. Gerson is scheduled to make his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Timinson Erin Jackson, 25, appeared before U.S. District Judge Randy Crane Dec. 13 and was ordered to serve 120 months in prison.

In a series of arrests and searches conducted early Tuesday morning, law enforcement seized approximately eight kilograms of heroin, a number of firearms, approximately $500,000 in cash, luxury vehicles, and Rolex watches. One additional individual was arrested on state charges of trafficking 220 grams or more of cocaine.

Jeremy Matthew Meyerett, 41, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips to 240 months in prison. Meyerett pleaded guilty in June to producing child pornography in a case arising from an undercover probe by the Queensland Police Service in Australia.

Edward J. Tutunjian, 67, of Belmont, Massachusetts, has owned and operated Boston Cab for more than four decades through his company; EJT Management, Inc. Tutunjian was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 20 months of probation, 18 months of which must be spent at Coolidge House, a community correctional facility in Boston.

Jesus Villalobos, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Hayden Head to 300 months in prison. In handing down this sentence, Judge Head noted that Villalobos has a career of criminal activity which includes violence. 

Joel Acedo-Ojeda, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez, who also ordered the defendant to forfeit $20 million and pay a $20,000 fine. Acedo-Ojeda pleaded guilty in June 2015 to conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

Martin Segoviano-Fierro, 35, was arrested in 2015, and charged Sept. 9, 2015, by criminal complaint with possession of heroin with intent to distribute in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. 

The Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) for Intellectual Property Enforcement, titled “Supporting Innovation, Creativity & Enterprise: Charting a Path Ahead”, identifies overarching goals, mandated objectives and collaborative initiatives to be implemented by the ICE-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) over the next three years. 

Frigid temperatures and snow gusts were no obstacle for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Buffalo honor guard team who presented the colors during the national anthem Sunday at the Buffalo Bills game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

These individuals range from age 18 to 66 and all were previously convicted of a variety of offenses. Some of the convictions included attempted murder, robbery, criminal sexual contact of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, child abuse, aggravated assault, distribution of narcotics, larceny, DUI, possession of a weapon, and domestic violence.

Bassem Afif Herz, 31, of Cedar Rapids, was sentenced to 97 months in prison following his previous guilty plea to various charges related to a scheme to illegally export hundreds of firearms to Lebanon.

The shipment of cocaine originated in Cartegena, Colombia, and was ultimately destined for South Carolina. CBP and HSI discovered the cocaine as part of its regular duties pertaining to the investigation of people and goods entering the United States.