News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
The operation, dubbed “Cross Check,” began Sunday, March 1, and ended Thursday, March 5. Hundreds of ERO officers participated in the operation that focused on the arrests of public safety threats. Those arrested are from 94 countries and have a wide array of criminal convictions.
HSI special agents arrested Melvin Gomera-Rodriguez, 23, of San Juan, for allegedly downloading sexually explicit images depicting child pornography from a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing network, a method of communication available to Internet users in which computers linked together form a decentralized network that allows for the sharing of digital files between users of the network.
Special agents arrested Milton Contreras, 19, aka “Diabolico,” in Kansas City, Kansas, where he was arraigned.
At trial, the government presented evidence that law enforcement had identified Richard Dale Brooks, 55, of Cocoa, while investigating individuals sharing child pornography via a peer-to-peer file-sharing program in May 2012. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Brooks' Jacksonville residence and discovered several computers containing child pornography.
As a police officer for 14 years before joining ICE, Pandolfi has been a part of his share of rescue efforts. It is because of his experience and preparation that he never wavered that afternoon on the side of the road in Vermont.
Andrew Nicholas Evich, 67, of Everett, made his initial appearance in federal court Friday on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. According to the complaint, Evich was sharing images of child rape and molestation through a peer-to-peer file sharing program while posing as a 13-year-old boy. Evich’s profile caught the attention of HSI special agents investigating Internet child exploitation crimes. HSI special agents are still determining the origin of hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos obtained from Evich.
On Thursday, March 5, CNBC aired an episode of American Greed, highlighting the story of Jordan Belfort, the former stock broker and inspiration behind the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
According to the testimony presented at trial, a new tenant moving into a condo recently vacated by Brian Robert Harling in July 2013found three thumb drives after they fell from molding inside of a closet. Harling, 58, was found guilty by a federal jury Dec. 3, 2014.
Alain Painchaud, 46, of Sasseville, Québec, was repatriated to Canada via ground transportation from Chicago and turned over to the custody of Canadian authorities at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
“Former Korean President Chun violated the trust of the people of Korea,” said Director Saldaña. “The results in this case reflect the outstanding international cooperation that exists between U.S. law enforcement and the government of Korea.”
Michaels, who has been with HSI for over 12 years, was honored for his outstanding work in investigating child exploitation-related crimes. One of the highlights of his efforts included his leadership in re-establishing the South Carolina Upstate Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.
Joseph Rajkumar, 44, formerly of Farmington, pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2013 in Hartford federal court to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography. The charge stems from Rajkumar‘s sexual relationship with a student while he was a teacher at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington.
Alejandro Carrillo, 38, of El Paso, Texas, was arrested April 23, 2014, after a search by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol agents during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 25 in Doña Ana County, New Mexico revealed that Carrillo had concealed bundles of methamphetamine in his tractor-trailer.
Jesus Javier Garza Jr., 30, of Mission, Texas, was arrested and charged Feb. 27, 2014 for receiving child pornography. During the hearing March 3, Garza admitted he was the mariachi director at La Joya High School.
Mosquera was arrested in Colombia and subsequently extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty Nov. 25.
Todd Fleming, from McKinney, Texas, pleaded guilty Oct. 2, 2014 to sexually exploiting children and was sentenced March 3 to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Fleming will be required to register as a sex offender and serve a life term of supervised release upon his release from federal prison.
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Feb. 27, 2015
On Friday, HSI special agents arrested Naara Elisa Cruz-Vilar, 28, of San Juan, for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct. According to the criminal complaint, Cruz-Vilar, a special education teacher at a local school, transported a 15-year-old minor student to her residence with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with him.
As part of Project iGuardian, HSI special agents in St. Thomas organized the largest Internet safety outreach in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) for 8- to 16-year-old kids to provide them with the necessary tools to make smart decisions when navigating the Internet. The event was part of the 2015 USVI Youth Summit sponsored by the USVI Police Department and the local Department of Education.
BEST units in the United States gather officers from more than 100 different law enforcement agencies under one roof, ith the objective of identifying, investigating, disrupting and dismantling transnational organizations posing the greatest threat to border security, public safety and national security, by employing the full range of federal, state, local, tribal and international law enforcement resources.
Special agents, investigators and attorneys gathered in Mexico City for a three-day law enforcement symposium to collaborate and share information on current money laundering trends. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché Office in Mexico City and the Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) hosted the symposium that ended Thursday.
Foster, along with HSI and Embassy Rome officials, visited several archeological sites in the Lazio Region. In a visit to Ceveteri, an ancient Etruscan archeological site that has been subjected to recent looting, the U.S. team observed a community effort to work with archaeologists to better excavate tombs before looters could remove the contents.
Joey Doolittle used his brief time on this earth living with courage, kindness and in service to others. Joey died at the age of nine years old from cancer, but not before creating his legacy ― Joey’s Toy Box (JTB).
Melquiades Garcia Gonzalez, 29, of Kent, was arrested May 20, 2014, when he attempted to deliver 3 kilograms of heroin to undercover officers in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Kent. When investigators moved in to make an arrest, Garcia Gonzalez fled in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, court records state.
Carmelo Rojas-Perez, 31, born in Toluca, Mexico, was living in Pittsburgh when he initially received a “test” package from his hometown that contained a framed religious picture but no drugs. He was instructed by co-conspirators to ensure there were no indications that law enforcement had intercepted the package. After assuring himself the package had not been tampered with, he stored it in his residence.
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