News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
Robert Kirkland, 48, of Corpus Christi, was sentenced Feb. 10 by U.S. District Hayden Head to a total of 324 months in federal prison.
The ruse entices victims with a promise of an inheritance or business opportunity and the requirement that they fly to various countries to meet with “attorneys” or “business partners,” with all travel and expenses paid by the transnational criminal organization.
Regor Cadag Aguilar, 42, arrived in Manila, Philippines, mid-day Wednesday Pacific Standard Time, on board a commercial flight escorted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.
Initially created in 2007 by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Operation Angel Watch is managed by the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of the ICE Cyber Crimes Center and is a joint effort with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Robie Lynn Sims, 41, pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of concealing a person from arrest. On Feb. 8, U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor ordered Sims to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by March 18.
Nathan Bryant Cooper, 36, of Haltom City, Texas, has been in custody since his arrest in September 2015 on a related federal criminal complaint. He pleaded guilty in November 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to the 10-count indictment, Luis R. Santos-Baez, 32, forged and agreed to use supposedly legal documents bearing the false signatures of U.S Bankruptcy Court judges Mildred Caban-Flores and Edward A. Godoy, for the purpose of authenticating said documents for the bankruptcy proceedings.
Ken Zhiyi Liang, 39, of Irvine, was sentenced Monday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guildford. Liang was found guilty in September of conspiring to obstruct justice, obstructing justice, and tampering with a witness, who is referred to in court papers as “D.L.”
According to the factual resume filed in the case, since about 2014, Miguel Bonilla, 36, of Dallas, and another co-conspirator supplied multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine on consignment to other co-conspirators.
David Anaya Garcia, 32, was employed as a janitor in a Las Cruces elementary school at the time he committed the crimes.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix on Tuesday ordered Jason Tremblay, 28, of Ledyard, Connecticut, released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. He was first charged based on a criminal complaint Feb. 4, and then indicted by a federal grand jury Feb. 9.
Carlo Figueroa-Macedo, who entered the United States in 1977 as a lawful immigrant, was ordered removed by an immigration judge in August 2011. Figueroa-Macedo’s lawful status was revoked based on his criminal convictions involving moral turpitude.
Naadir Cassim, 40, of Barcelona, Spain, and Orlando; Jon Craig Nelson, 69, of Houston, Texas; Michael Skillern, 49, of Houston, Texas; and Adriana Maria Camargo, a/k/a Adriana Palomino, 37, of Barcelona, Spain; each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count and 20 years in prison for each mail fraud count.
Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu, 56 and 50, respectively, of Katy, Texas, were arrested Feb. 8 and are expected to make their initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson. The criminal complaint was filed under seal Feb. 5, and automatically unsealed upon their arrests.
Michael Lee Martinez, 46, of Galveston, was sentenced to 360 months for each of three counts of producing child pornography, which are to be served concurrently.
This day serves as an opportunity to reflect on victims who have suffered from female genital mutilation/cutting, including many women and girls who have died or suffered lifelong health complications from the practice. The day also renews a global commitment to the health and well-being of all women, girls and communities by eliminating the practice.
Daniel Lajoie, Jr., 46, of Bowdoinham, Maine was sentenced to 57 months in prison on one count of possession of child pornography. Lajoie pleaded guilty to the charge on October 8, 2015.
Those arrested had criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: driving under the influence (DUI), burglary, resisting officer, making a false report, hit and run, obstructing a police officer, forgery, damage property, cocaine possession, assault, shoplifting, narcotic equipment possession, simple assault, amphetamine possession, dangerous drugs (heroin), carrying a concealed weapon, and controlled substance distribution.
The results from Operation Team Player, an ongoing effort developed by the HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) to crackdown on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise, were revealed at a press conference hosted by the NFL with participation from ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Bay-area law-enforcement agencies.
Juan Martin Torres, 28, of Firebaugh, was found guilty on one count of enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
James Peyton Busbee Jr., 30, was sentenced Feb. 2 to 360 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey. At the hearing, an HSI special agent testified that Busbee used a pipe laced with methamphetamine during the assault of a child.
Jason Christopher Pauer, 45, of Seattle, was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in December 2013 at Silver Star ski area in British Columbia, Canada.
Miguel Hernandez-Maldonado, 42, Manuel Garcia-Cabrera, 40, and Luis Diaz-Tinoco, 47, all illegal aliens from Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 29, 2015. All three were convicted of one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of illegal re-entry after deportation.
Samantha C. Elmer, 33, of Lawrence, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft. In her plea she admitted she forged her husband’s signature on a document giving her consent to take their two daughters to Europe.
Tiara Jade Newman, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In her plea, she admitted that on March 21, 2015, she and her husband, co-defendant Reginald Newman, 29, took a 17-year-old girl from Topeka to Junction City, Kansas, for the purpose of prostitution.
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