News Releases and Statements

Hurricanes have served as milestones for the HSI RRT national program under the HSI Headquarters’ Emergency Management Unit (EMU). EMU oversees approximately 19 RRTs across the country.

The Detroit RRT, which included personnel from Michigan and Ohio, traveled to St. Simon’s Island in Glynn County, Georgia to assist with the recovery. They had approximately 12 hours’ notice to move out. Detroit RRT Commander Celeste Koszut said, “There is no direct route when you are going into a storm like this. It was not a good situation.”

Jose De Jesus Barajas Lopez, 30, 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. 

Nathan Oliva, 30, pleaded guilty Jan. 28 to sex trafficking children and was sentenced to 365 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.

Daniel Espejo Amos, 68, of Lakewood, a former officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), who had the authority to approve applications for citizenship, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison Friday for taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.

Jaime “Tweety” Balam, 27, a Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member from Mexico, was indicted in 2012 on murder and racketeering charges for his role in a shooting at a Daly City BART station. According to court documents, on Feb. 19, 2009, Balam was riding in a stolen car with other MS-13 members “hunting” for rival gang members. 

Sean Libbert, 41, of Newport Beach, pleaded guilty to a series of charges related to a scheme to distribute synthetic drugs commonly called “spice” or “bath salts.” Some of the drugs in this case nearly killed a victim who ingested them, according to the 16-count indictment filed in June 2014 that was the first in the Central District of California involving drug analogues.

A federal grand jury convicted the following two men of conspiracy to commit wire fraud: Clarence Counterman, 59, owner of an income tax return preparation business known as Taxrite, and Robert Loya, 52.

The indictment, unsealed Friday, alleges that from on-or-about 2008, Jose Cruz-Lopez smuggled kilogram quantities of cocaine while employed as a TSA officer at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (LMMIA) in San Juan.

During a search for evidence, Ruger is led by his handler and uses his sense of smell to locate electronic devices. He ‘indicates’ he has found something by sitting down. Amazingly, he is able to find the exact location of electronic equipment. He is also able to indicate where equipment was previously. He is awarded with his favorite treat: a yellow tennis ball.

George L. Wilson, 54, recently of Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced eight months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release.

Richard S. Buffham, 49, of Oswego, New York, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue. Buffham, who was ordered detained pending sentencing, faces a minimum sentence at least five years and up to 20 years imprisonment on each of the distribution counts.

Edwin Antonio Torres, 27, was flown to El Salvador Nov. 4 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Torres was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).

Said Imberly Chino Lucero, 28, a permanent resident of the U.S. residing in San Juan, Mexico, and Carlos Andres Herrera-Fernandez, 35, of Lanham, Maryland, were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to import and the importation of cocaine into the U.S. and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Luis Felipe Rodriguez, aka “Vaquero,” 40, from Eagle Pass, was sentenced Nov. 3 to mandatory life in federal prison by a U.S. district federal judge in Del Rio, Texas.  He was arrested without incident Jan.16, 2014.

During the arrest of Sandy Hernandez Monday, HSI special agents found more than $30,000 in cash, three weapons and approximately 1,786 kilograms of cocaine. Of the six persons in the indictment, three were arrested while the others are awaiting extradition from the Dominican Republic.

More than 100 law enforcement personnel from a dozen federal, state, and local agencies participated in the operation. Overall, investigators served a total of 32 state arrest warrants at 12 locations around the Tucson metropolitan area. Sixteen defendants are now in custody.

According to court documents, Jose Avianeda-Espinoza, 44, a citizen of Mexico, fraudulently used a U.S. citizen’s identity for nearly 17 years to obtain a number of government identifications and to avoid deportation.

During a search of the woman’s residence, HSI special agents recovered counterfeit lipsticks, hair styling products, eyelash adhesive, powder compacts, eye shadow, eye liner, as well as electronic curlers and straighteners.

Jose Alberto Orozco-Ramirez, 48, was the subject of an Interpol warrant for rape against a minor. He entered ICE custody May 26. Orozco-Ramirez was originally admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant B-2 visitor June 3, 2003, but exceeded his stay.

Nieblas-Ruelas and co-defendant Massiel Segoviano-Fierro, 25, also a Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, were arrested in November 2015. They were charged Nov. 23, 2015, by criminal complaint with conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, in Bernalillo Country New Mexico.