News Releases and Statements

David Anaya Garcia, 31, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was arrested July 2 on child pornography charges. He made his initial appearance in federal court July 6; a preliminary hearing and detention hearing are set for this week.

Nho Thi Nguyen, 61, was transferred to ICE custody from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) June 28. On July 1, Nguyen collapsed while taking a shower at the Houston Contract Detention Facility.

According to the indictment, the following defendants were part of the scam from January 2012 to March 2015: Maurice Simmonds, a/k/a "Damion Dash," 34; Devon A. Grant, a/k/a "The Bachelor," 55; Majid Morris, 34; Ashley Hicks-Williams, 29; Melissa Duncan, 29; and Warren Chevannes, a/k/a "Dave," 37.

Aldo Teyes-Sanchez, 32, from El Salvador, and Antonio Rivas-Vargas, 31, from Mexico, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine Aug. 30, 2013, and Sept. 5, 2014, respectively.

Edwin N. Makasiar II, 44, of Lombard, Illinois, was sentenced June 30 by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis. Makasiar, a registered nurse, pleaded guilty in December to attempting to export defense articles without a license. Makasiar admitted in a plea agreement that he illegally exported at least 32 firearms to the Philippines from 2005 to 2012.

William Y. Maldonado, 36, of Peñuelas, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years and eight months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jose A. Fuste. In addition to the prison term, Fuste also sentenced Maldonado-Rivera to a 10-year period of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Kamran Ashfaq Malik, 35, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland Monday to two years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for unlawfully exporting semi-automatic rifles, parts and accessories to Pakistan.

Gabriel Collado-Rodriguez, 40, was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice when he was arrested June 2 as part of a nationwide roundup of foreign fugitives residing in the United States by ERO and the U.S. Marshals Service.

ICE Director Sarah Saldaña and Maria Alice Nascimento Souza, director of the PRF, signed the bilateral agreement on behalf of both agencies. The declaration focuses on bilateral work to combat transnational criminal organizations operating in Brazil with a nexus to the United States.

Ruben Settle, 38, pleaded guilty March 12 to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Maui Police Department.

Those arrested include: a 43-year-old previously deported Mexican national whose list of criminal history includes convictions for child molestation, and a DUI resulting in death; a 20-year old legal permanent resident from Mexico with a conviction for drug trafficking; and a previously deported 49-year old Mexican national convicted of possessing of stolen mail.

Personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) were among the more than 1,200 law enforcement officials working together during the manhunt that began on June 6 and spread approximately 50 miles west of the prison.

On Dec. 2, 2014, HSI special agents arrested Edwin J. Santiago-Rivera, 26, a former member of the Puerto Rico National Guard, at his residence in the municipality of Villalba. The arrest spurred from information from the Puerto Rico Police Department’s (PRPD) Sex Crimes Division in Ponce regarding the transportation by Santiago-Rivera of a 14-year-old girl with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

Kanubhai Patel, AKA, Mr. Kenny, and Pop, 74, of Kenner, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of benefiting financially from trafficking in persons.

HSI special agents have tracked multiple false provenances provided by Subhash Kapoor, the owner of Art of the Past Gallery, who has been implicated in the HSI probe dubbed Operation Hidden Idol.

Carlos O’Brien Ricketts, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Michael F. Urbanski of the Western District of Virginia to serve 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $74,450 in restitution to his victims.

On March 8, 2014, HSI special agents arrested Randy Charriez-Rolon, 30, at his place of work in Dorado after a preliminary investigation found that he transported an 8-year-old minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Teresita Zarrabian, 62, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Philippines residing in Des Plaines, Illinois, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison to be followed by one year of supervised release.

Andreina Becerra, 30, a Venezuelan national, and Roberto Volpe, 33, an Italian national, both of Miami; Jianhua Li, 40, a Chinese national and resident of Guangzhou, China; and Rosario La Marca, 52, an Italian national and resident of Italy, were accused in an eight-count indictment of importing and trafficking fake iPhones, iPads and iPods bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks and fake camcorders bearing counterfeit Sony trademarks, as well as smuggling, structuring and international money laundering.

Fadil Abdelghani, 52, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his part in the 1994 conspiracy headed by the blind Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman to target the United Nations, FBI offices and other New York City landmarks.

Jonathan Michael Swearingen, 28, of Orange, Texas, pleaded guilty July 1 to possessing child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zachary J. Hawthorn.

The World Customs Organization-led (WCO) operation, dubbed FLYAWAY, teamed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to three separate seizures totaling more than three tons of marijuana June 23 near the border south of Tucson.

Wen Ping Chen, 30, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and his brother Wen Qiu Chen, 31, of Santa Fe, were also ordered to forfeit a residence located on Aztec Court in Rio Rancho that was used to facilitate the Chens’ criminal conduct. Although the amount of restitution to be paid by the Chen brothers will be determined at a later date, the court noted that the restitution order will be at least $120,000.