News Releases and Statements

Jesus Godofredo Aguilar Guillen, 50, a criminally-convicted alien illegally present in the United States and the subject of an Interpol warrant for fraud, was taken into ICE custody on Aug. 18,.  Aguilar Guillen was wanted by Peruvian authorities for fraud and had illegally re-entered the United States after being deported in 2004.

Manuel Ivan Reina-Ruiz, from Sonora, Mexico, has been sentenced to 78 months imprisonment by a U.S. District judge in McAllen.

A Guatemalan man in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) passed away of an apparent heart attack Tuesday at St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Patty Cordoba, 44, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, was sentenced Sept. 28 by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala, Northern District of Illinois, to 55 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Paul Charles Wilkins, 70, of Littleport in East Cambridgeshire, England, a dual U.S.-United Kingdom citizen, was charged earlier this year in a four-count indictment with traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; attempted sex trafficking of children; transportation of child pornography; and possession of child pornography.

Michael V. Lucas, 31, of Springfield, Missouri, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury. This indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Lucas Sept. 21.

Jorge Trevino-Blanco, 27, from McAllen, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez who accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 8. At that time, Trevino-Blanco faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

Pedro Chavez-Bautista, 35, pleaded guilty June 28 to one count of human smuggling. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, who also ordered the defendant, who had been imprisoned since December, to serve an additional eight months for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) recently hosted a two day transnational financial investigations training in Kingston, Jamaica. HSI officials from the Illicit Finance and Proceeds of Crime Unit (IFPCU) provided the training and the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Jamaica, Eric Khant was on hand to provide remarks.

According to the plea agreement, Amin Yu, 55, of Orlando, from at least 2002 to February 2014, at the direction of co-conspirators working for Harbin Engineering University (HEU, a People’s Republic of China (PRC)-controlled entity) PRC, obtained systems and components for marine submersible vehicles from companies in the U.S.

Of the 51 individuals arrested, 47 had previously been convicted of crimes like grand larceny and rape. Three of the four remaining individuals have pending charges against them; one is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice. One person was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in January 2015, making him a priority for civil immigration enforcement.

Law enforcement learned that Jesus Villalobos, 31, from Corpus Christi, had been communicating via cellphone text messages and a social media application with an 11-year-old girl in February.

Lazaro Gerardo Rascon-Balbastro, 26, and Abelardo Ibarra-De La O, 26, were both transported by bus to the U.S. Mexico border at Laredo, Texas, and transferred to Mexican authorities Sept. 26.

Nader Elhuzayel, 25 of Anaheim, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter. The sentencing followed Elhuzayel’s conviction in June at the conclusion of a two-week trial that ended with a federal jury returning guilty verdicts against Elhuzayel and his co-defendant Muhanad Badawi. In addition to the terrorism counts, the jury also found Elhuzayel guilty of committing 26 counts of bank fraud and found Badawi guilty of one count of financial aid fraud.

HSI Nashville hosted the first-ever training for state and local agencies to include the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Transportation Security Administration and others.

Rosa Linda Ganceres, 54, of Mathis, Texas, was sentenced to the maximum term of 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos. She was also sentenced to serve 10 years of supervised release, and must register as a sex offender. 

Sowrabh Sharma, 31, of New York, is charged – along with SCM Data Inc., a New Jersey corporation, MMC Systems Inc., a Virginia corporation, and Shikha Mohta, 33, of Jersey City, New Jersey, the head of finance for the companies – with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and to obstruct justice and one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens.

Mario Rodriguez-Gomez, 25, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos.  He is also expected to face deportation proceedings following his release from prison.

Marco Antonio Delgado (aka Marco Delgado Licon), 50, was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud, seven counts of money laundering, and nine counts of engaging in monetary transactions of criminally derived property.

The complaint alleges violations of the False Claims Act by Yingshun Garments Inc., an importer of women’s apparel manufactured in China; Marie Rogers former Managing Director of Yingshun; Import Global Designs Inc. and Olgrem Llc, successor entities to Yingshun; and Notations, Inc., a wholesaler of women’s apparel and Yingshun’s biggest customer. 

The objective of this operation was to apply an organized, methodical approach to locating and arresting ICE fugitive aliens, previously removed aliens, removable criminal aliens, and otherwise dangerous aliens at large who are involved in transnational gangs and/or heroin trafficking organizations in Denver, Colorado.

Don Francis, Jr., 46, of Metairie, previously admitted during his guilty plea in April 2016, that he transported child pornography. According to court documents, Feb. 5, 2014, HSI and state and local investigators executed a search warrant of Francis’ residence and discovered child pornography on a computer maintained and controlled by Francis.