News Releases and Statements

Patrik Arsenault, 28 of Norridgewock, was also ordered to serve a lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. following his prison sentence. Arsenault pleaded guilty July 8, 2014.

Qayed Murtaza Shareef, 39, Aliso Viejo, was formally charged Friday with 30 felony counts of lewd acts with a child under 14; one felony count of using a minor for sex acts; one felony count of distributing pornography to a minor; one felony count of possession or control of child pornography, with a sentencing enhancement for substantial sexual conduct with a child under 14 years old and committing lewd acts upon multiple victims.

The HSI San Juan Citizens Academy was developed by HSI San Juan special agents to provide members of the general public with an inside look at HSI and how the agency enforces immigration and customs laws.

With that thought in mind, in April 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) entered into a partnership with the U.S. Special Operations Command and the National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT) to launch the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program.

Simpson Unlimited was founded in 1992 and currently employs approximately 125 individuals. The company handles construction projects ranging from simple repairs to multimillion dollar contracts. Some of the company’s largest projects include: the Rayburn House and Senate Building, the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner and the Freer Gallery of Art.

Harry K. Roche, 44, of Millsboro, Delaware, was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence and will be required to continue to register as a sex offender in any place he lives, works or attends school.

Ten government witnesses provided testimony regarding the trafficking in heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine by Rodolfo Casares, 38, of Brownsville, Texas. This criminal organization was headquartered in Mathis, Texas, and led by Ricardo Guerrero.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced William Craig Noonan, 39, of Houston, to 360 months in prison for each of the two counts of conspiracy to produce, and one count of distributing child pornography, as well as 120 months for possessing child pornography.

This investigation, referred to as Operation Kingdom Conqueror, is an ongoing cooperative effort among the following agencies: Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); FBI; Montana Department of Criminal Investigations; Helena and Polson (Montana) police departments; Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; and the States of Jersey Police Department, Isle of Jersey.

Daniel Brown, 26, of Taylor, South Carolina, was convicted Jan. 22 for his role in this child pornography scheme. Five defendants previously pleaded guilty for their role in the conspiracy in October, 2014. Six additional defendants filed their notice to plead guilty in January 2015.

Omali McKay, 29, a citizen of Trinidad lawfully residing in the United States who’s now serving time in state prison for sexually assaulting a child, pleaded guilty to conspiring with others from 2006 to Aug. 25, 2012, to distribute five to 15 kilograms of cocaine and 280 to 840 grams of crack cocaine.

ERO officers transferred Sungwoo Kim, 49, and his brother Sungjoon Kim, 43, to the custody of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) at Incheon International Airport Wednesday to face fraud charges. They were escorted by ERO officers on a commercial flight that departed Tuesday from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Aleksandar Randjelovich, 39, of Fair Oaks, was sentenced by United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh F. Sigal prosecuted the case.

Brandon Jones, 33, was charged Thursday after three of his other co-conspirators were charged and pleaded guilty in federal court.

Raul Ramirez-Martinez, 36, a previously deported illegal alien from Queretaro, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen to 120 months on each of the charges, to be served concurrently. As an illegal alien, he is expected to face deportation proceedings after he’s released from prison. Ramirez-Martinez pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2014.

McCain Inc., which began operations in 1987, is the 16th San Diego-area business to become an IMAGE member. IMAGE is a voluntary partnership that helps employers maintain a lawful workforce and reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents.

On Friday, HSI special agent Alvin Medina was recognized by U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Liliana Ayalde for his outstanding support during the vice president’s Brazil visit during the 2014 World Cup.

ERO officers and HSI special agents worked closely with the HSI Brasilia Attaché Office and Interpol to track down Caylon Botelho Carreiro, 27, and Adilson Pires Ribeiro, 48. Both were arrested last week in Massachusetts.

Miguel Alexander Guevara-Quintanea, 22, was repatriated on board a charter flight coordinated by ERO’s Air Operations Unit.

Kalif Hickey, 33, of Springfield, Missouri, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison without parole.

Kyle B. Rains, 31, of Park City, Kansas, was sentenced to 165 months in prison following his conviction on one count of distributing child pornography.

More than $5 million in cash and assets were seized during the investigation of large-scale drug trafficker Ronald Belciano, age 42, of Newtown Square (formerly Villanova), Pennsylvania.

Brian Richard Farrell, 26, who was known on the Silk Road site as “DoctorClu,” came to the attention of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in July.

Paul Lawrence Vella, 60, of Morgan Hill, was sentenced Jan. 15 to 59 months in prison for possession of child pornography.

Jurors returned guilty verdicts Jan. 16 for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking against gang members Deion Lockhart, 26; Richard Gray, 25; Emmanual Lockhart, 24, and Timothy McCullouch, Jr., 29, who is a former El Paso County juvenile probation officer.