News Releases and Statements

Laiton Blake Witkowski, 42, of Stockton, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander to serve a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence and register as a sex offender.

Jordan Georgievski, 41, is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. at 3 p.m. He faces two criminal counts of racketeering – participating in a Racketeer Influenced Organization (RICO) and conspiring to engage in a RICO.

In 2010, President Barack Obama declared January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the hopes of bringing an end to this inexcusable act of abuse that is a modern-day form of slavery.

Norman Paul Felts, 70, who lived on his boat in Ensenada, Mexico, was convicted Thursday following a bench trial in federal court. He has been in custody since his arrest by HSI agents in June 2013.

Dwight Williams, 51, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking conspiracy in August, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Anchorage Police Department.

Young-Kyu Park, 58, formerly of Fort Lee, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Faith S. Hochberg to conspiracy to produce identification and false identification documents; conspiracy to steal government property and transport stolen property in interstate commerce, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Rene Jonathan Hernandez Gomez, 23, and Rubia Benavide, 65, both of El Salvador, are charged with attempting to smuggle unaccompanied minors for profit.

Ezequiel Tineo-Alcala, 45, was arrested after CBP officers conducting vehicle inspections on board the ferry M/V Caribbean Fantasy selected his Ford cargo van for a more intrusive inspection. A K9 alerted to a decorative table inside the van which contained a residue that later tested positive for heroin.

HSI special agents arrested Jean Carlos Rivera-Morales, 26, after an investigation that stemmed from a Jan. 7 referral from PRPD. An HSI investigation revealed that Rivera-Morales engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a 6-year-old minor, and that he recorded one of the sexual acts with his cellular telephone.

On Jan. 21, 2014, HSI special agents arrested Raheem T. Creque, 37, for enticing and coercing a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

According to the investigation, Nathan Isen, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, allegedly sold 12 pieces of art work in exchange for $20,000 in cash for the purpose of laundering cash he believed to be drug proceeds.

Ruth Fernandez Morales-Lopez, 32, pleaded guilty Jan. 8 to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens to stash houses in the Brownsville area. Alfredo Prieto, 43, of Laguna Vista, Texas, was arrested Wednesday on related charges. The following five others have also pleaded guilty to alien smuggling charges: Abram Erasmo Rodriguez, 21, a U.S. citizen from Los Fresnos, Texas; Olegario Reyes-Bonola, 50; Esteban Castro-Molina, 40; Digma Salinas-De Rivera, 41; and Jose Antonio Marin-Sanchez, 43.

Felipe Pena, 40, of Laredo, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to 67 months in federal prison, which included an upward variance for almost injuring CBP officers during the chase. The court further noted that Pena is a violent individual and should show respect to law enforcement and the United States of America. Pena pleaded guilty Aug. 27, 2014.

According to court documents, law enforcement discovered Daniel Brown, 39, of Norfolk, during an investigation into a photo-sharing website known to be used for sharing child pornography.

Ramy Ahmed, a 32-year-old naturalized citizen from Egypt, was caught after HSI Philadelphia agents saw an illicit add he put up on Craigslist.com looking for a sexual encounter with a child and immediately intervened.

ERO officers encountered Julio Gonzalez-Zamudio, 44, in January 2014 following his arrest by Oregon State Police. According to court documents, Gonzalez-Zamudio was a passenger in a vehicle police stopped on Interstate 5 in Douglas County.

Domingo Luna, 34, aka “Morro,” of Camden, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez. Luna previously pleaded guilty in September to making fake identification documents and unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation, which are both felonies under federal law. Luna was arrested by HSI agents Dec. 12, 2013, and has been held in ICE administrative custody since that time.

Agustin Gomez Fernandez, 55, and Francisco Javier Figueroa Martinez, 27, were handed over to Mexican law enforcement officials at El Paso’s Stanton Bridge Port of Entry.

Dwight McEachin, 19, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested by HSI special agents Dec. 15.

Shelia Villegas, 47, of Manila, Arkansas, was found guilty Jan. 7 on methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking charges after a two-day trial.

Annika Boas, 37, of Mount Rainier was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy, wire fraud and making a false statement on a loan application, arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.

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Tonderai Sakupwanya was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. Sakupwanya, who is in custody, pleaded guilty in May 2014 to one count of theft of public funds.

Christopher Nixon, 23, was ordered to serve 17.5 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James in the Western District of Louisiana. In addition to his prison term, Nixon is required to serve 15 years of supervised release following the completion of his sentence.