News Releases and Statements

Assistant Secretary Bersin signed the document on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signifying the U.S. government’s commitment to enhancing and strengthening the bi-lateral fight against transnational crime.

Palencia-Murillo allegedly used social media to recruit and coerce his victims into sending him pornographic images. His victims were all males between the ages of 10 and 16.

Mark Marmilev, 35, of Brooklyn, was principally responsible for designing and maintaining the technological infrastructure for Liberty Reserve, a company that operated one of the world’s most widely used digital currency services.

Benito Agramon Castro, 50, from Irving, Texas, pleaded guilty in February 2014 to one count of possessing prepubescent child pornography. He has been in custody since his arrest in December 2013.

Mark Pinnock, 23, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to five years of supervised release. In August 2014, Pinnock pleaded guilty to recruiting and transporting a minor to engage in prostitution. Two co-defendants, Justin Richardson and Martin Pinkney, both of Baltimore, will be sentenced Dec.19 and 22, respectively.

Maria Rosalba Alvarado McTague, 47, and Felix Adriano Chujoy, 26, both of Harrisonburg, were indicted by a federal grand jury Dec. 4. That indictment was unsealed Friday evening following the defendants’ arrests and initial court appearances.

Jose Luis Zavala, 38, from Brownsville, Texas, was arrested at his residence Dec. 12 without incident. Zavala appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan Dec. 15 and was formally charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1000 kilograms of marijuana and bribery of a public official.

Thomas Thompson, 66, of Alice, Texas, was sentenced Dec. 11 to 96 months in federal prison, along with a lifetime of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. Additional charges against Thompson are pending with the state court for molesting his granddaughter.

Eduardo Cantillo, 43, from Lubbock, Texas, is in custody and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.

Kala D Rains, 47, of Potrero, was convicted of seven counts of conspiracy along with harboring and transporting illegal aliens.

Zexiong Chen, 28, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $6,000 and ordered to pay $4,820 restitution. Haotian Chen, 26, was sentenced to time served which was one day in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $4,000 and ordered to pay $4,829 restitution.

“Black Friday” sales drew consumers by the thousands to line up for hours to get a drastically reduced TV, pair of shoes or piece of furniture. Those who chose to literally avoid the holiday rush could also take advantage of “Cyber Monday” and catch equally attractive deals online.

Jose Valladolid, 44, from Columbus, New Mexico, was arrested Aug. 6 at the Columbus International Port of Entry in Luna County, New Mexico, for illegally possessing firearms, and attempting to export those firearms out of the United States.

Naqing Zhang, 31, and his wife, Wei Dong, 32, Chin C. Chu, 43, and his wife, Jian Y. Xia, 38, Sai E. Chen, 39, Wei A. Liao, 41,and Zhou Pizhong, 22, face charges of second-degree trademark counterfeiting. If convicted, they each face up to four years in prison.

John Balyo, 35, of Grand Rapids, was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and was ordered to pay $8,500 to the victims.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates the proposition that freedom, justice and peace in the world are fundamental rights that all individuals are entitled to equally. This year's slogan, "Human Rights 365," embraces the idea that every day is Human Rights Day.

On Monday, at a formal ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace, HSI Seoul Attaché Taekuk Cho was presented with the Korean President’s Award for his efforts related to the repatriation of the nine national treasures. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual and the highest award given by the Korean government. Cho is only the fifth non-Korean national to receive this prestigious award in Korean history.

Assistant Secretary Bersin signed the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two DHS agencies responsible for enforcing U.S. customs laws.

Luis Alonso Soto-Carreon, 50, from Chihuahua, Mexico, was arrested in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, by the ERO's Fugitive Operations Unit in Denver.

Julio Cesar Miranda-Minero, 33, of El Salvador, illegally entered the United States near Nogales, Arizona, in 2007.

The sentencing of Carlos Arnoldo Lobo, aka Negro, 39, was the culmination of a five-year, multiagency investigation into drug smuggling activities operating near La Ceiba, Honduras.

The repatriation ceremony at the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan was conducted by Andrew M. McLees, special agent in charge of HSI Newark; Robert E. Perez, director of CBP New York field operations, and Turkish Consul General Ertan Yalcin.

Wade H. Dewey, 48, of Syracuse, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on Aug. 2, 2013, he was found at home possessing images and videos depicting child pornography, which he had obtained via the Internet.

Madhu Santhanam, 41, of Union City, owner of MAAN Systems, Inc., admitted that, between September 2009 and June 2013, he submitted at least 25 fraudulent I-129 petitions.