News Releases and Statements

Ping Liu, 43, of Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement to prostitution.

Alexis Gabriel Rodriguez-Rivera, 26, was arrested at his place of residence in Bayamon following a federal search warrant that revealed the presence of child pornography in his computer. On Nov. 10, an HSI digital forensic agent conducted a preliminary forensic examination on Rodriguez-Rivera’s computer. The forensic examination revealed several videos of female minors of apparently five to 11 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct with what appeared to be adult males.

Salvador Lopez, 37, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced on one count of enticing a child to engage in sexually explicit activity. His prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty Aug. 21 to the enticement charge.

U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis G. Moreno and Peter Murcott Bunting, minister of Jamaica’s Ministry of National Security, participated in the signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Security’s headquarters. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Assistant Director Matthew Albence and Minister Bunting signed the Criminal History Information Sharing (CHIS) memorandum.

Jose Isabel Paz-Martinez, 28, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales. Paz-Martinez pleaded guilty to the charge July 23 admitting the conspiracy resulted in the death of a young woman.

Steven Seth Hansen, 36, who has a previous federal conviction for use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor, must also register as a sex offender, pay restitution in the case, and forfeit a phone and tablet.

Xzavion Dayshaun Ragsdale, aka “Yung Billy,” 19, formerly of Amarillo, Texas, and most recently Dallas, Texas, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

New technologies giving HSI special agents the tools to identify more victims, faster than ever before.

According to David Pike, HSI Long Beach Special Agent and RRT Executive Officer, the RRT’s exhibition area consisted of several detailed demonstrations showcasing the proper use of breaching equipment for search and rescue, including door and wall breaches. The team also provided presentations on water purification and filtration, and conducted medical simulations to inform attendees on the proper way to administer first aid.

Michael David Wilson, 32, of Delano, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii. According to court documents, between September 2012 and April 2013, Wilson received and distributed more than 1,400 images and video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Mark A. Wireman, 44, from Lakin, Kansas, had previously pleaded guilty in July to five federal counts of distributing child pornography.

ICE announces the Secretary of Homeland Security has suspended certain regulatory requirements for F-1 nonimmigrant Nepalese students who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the April earthquake in Nepal. This relief applies only to students whose country of citizenship is Nepal and who were lawfully present in the United States in F-1 status on April 25, 2015, and enrolled in an institution certified by ICE’s SEVP.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 6, 2015

Ronald Mays, 63, of Wilmington, Delaware was arrested in April this year after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation.

Normann Pittelkow, 42, and Nicole Jacob, 35, were the latest fugitives to be profiled late last week on the ICE Operation Predator smartphone app, seeking public tips about at-large and unknown child predator suspects. The suspects are the targets of a federal investigation being led by ICE’s HSI.

During the ceremony, Secretary Johnson and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas honored employees for their contributions supporting law enforcement and protection activities including the 70th United Nations General Assembly and the historic visit of Pope Francis to the United States, promoting an equal and diverse work environment, and helping the Department eliminate waste and combat fraud.

As a result of this investigation, HSI’s Border Enforcement Task Force (BEST), seized 249 stolen luxury cars worth more than $16 million. The high end cars include models from BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Range Rover.

Nathan Penner, 25, of Yuba City, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley of the Eastern District of California to one count of production of child pornography. The sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 21, 2016.

Ruth Fernanda Morales-Lopez, 33, of Brownsville, was sentenced Nov. 5 by U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle to 34 months in federal prison. Judge Tagle also sentenced Esteban Castro-Medina, 41, to 18 months; Alfredo Prieto-Garcia, 44, was sentenced to 47 months for his convictions of conspiracy to bring in and transport aliens, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Committed to a victim-centric model, the task force will partner with social service agencies and organizations, including the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and the International Institute of Connecticut, which help to identify and report suspected trafficking and then provide needed support for trafficking victims.

According to court documents, Oct. 27, 2014, an agent with HSI conducted an online investigation into individuals who were using peer-to-peer software to share child pornography files. The agent connected with a computer belonging to Michael Eugene Read, 60, of Naples, and downloaded four videos depicting child pornography.

“Monday’s chain of events is a testament to the unity of effort by federal law enforcement in Arizona to attack and neutralize the drug smuggling threat,” said Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona.

Michael Brandner, 67, was convicted following a seven-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason of the District of Alaska. According to the indictment and evidence introduced at trial, in late 2007, shortly after Brandner’s wife filed for divorce, he collected millions of dollars in marital assets and secretly drove from Tacoma, Washington, to Costa Rica.

Wensink, a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army, volunteered to drive the trail vehicle in the convoy while she was serving in Iraq. Wensink explained that the trail vehicle is the last in the convoy and it maintains security and keeps the other vehicles safe.