News Releases and Statements

Christini Lynn Brashear, 45, of Rocklin, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to an indictment charging one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Susan Xiao-Ping Su, 44, of Pleasanton, appeared in court before U.S. District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar. In addition to the prison term, Judge Tigar ordered Su to forfeit $5.6 million in proceeds generated by the fraud scheme and pay more than $900,000 in restitution. The case is the result of a probe by the multiagency Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Oscar Rodriguez, 37, was sentenced on racketeering, conspiracy and marijuana trafficking charges a following his conviction in April 2014. Rodriguez’s convictions stem from "Operation Green Venom," a coordinated multi-agency investigation led by HSI.

A 47-year-old El Salvadoran national, who was being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since Oct. 2, passed away Thursday night at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital (MMH) in San Antonio.

Of the 62 individuals arrested, 54 had previous criminal convictions including: aggravated assault, drug possession, burglary, alien smuggling and drunken driving.

Terry Lee Clark, 48, of Corpus Christi, was contacted by authorities after receiving an anonymous tip in July. Clark gave permission to law enforcement to search his residence. During the search, a computer was discovered in his bedroom with child pornography on the screen. The computer and several media storage devices were seized revealing several images and videos containing child pornography.

Christopher Wayne Howard, 26, of Joshua, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report; a sentencing date will be set after that report is completed. Howard remains on bond.

On Feb. 28, HSI special agents arrested Jose Fernando Rodriguez-Vargas, of Carolina, after they received information from the Puerto Rico Police Department regarding Rodriguez-Vargas's attempt to use his cellular telephone to clandestinely take photographs of a 14-year-old girl at a local supermarket.

Hugo Adalberto Adrian Ramirez, 42, of Ontario, California, Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez, 45, of Ontario, and Luis Fernando Mancillas Medina, 49, of Los Angeles, have been charged in Florida with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Schiller Desgrottes, 66, a licensed internal medicine physician, faces 227 counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree.

These new partners greatly strengthen the IPR Center, which was founded in 2000, and serves as one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. The center uses the expertise of its 22 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions, and conduct investigations related to IP theft.

German Ardon-Zavala, 57, was removed to El Salvador Oct. 29 via government charter flight from Dallas and was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).

The LOI, aimed to combat child pornography, was signed between Attaché Cho and SMPA Director General Chul-Jun Kim. It formally recognizes the partnership between HSI Seoul and SMPA in investigating cybercrimes, reinforces the outstanding working relationship between HSI Seoul and the SMPA in combatting child pornography and brings the issue to the forefront within Korean society.

Jeremiah Malfroid, 33, was charged by criminal complaint Oct. 20 for production, receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography. Following a search of Malfroid's former Columbus-area residence in connection with the probe, officers with the Franklin County ICAC found nearly 700 sexually explicit videos of minors on his laptop computer and other digital media.

FBI and HSI special agents arrested Alpeshkumar Patel, 30, and Vijaykumar Patel, 39, of Philadelphia at Vijaykumar Patel's home Tuesday on felony conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges.

Jorge Molina-Sanchez, 35, of Mexico, was convicted by a federal jury in May 2013 of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least one kilogram of heroin, conspiracy to launder proceeds of drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The following 11 defendants pleaded guilty to child porography charges in April; they were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy of Missoula: Tony Bronson, 53, from Gary, Indiana; Charles Crosby, 43, from Trenton, New Jersey; Steve Humiston, 57, from Tacoma, Washington; John Johnson, 58, from Locust Grove, Virginia; Robert Krise, 66, from Gaithersburg, Maryland; Scott Long, 53, from Portland, Oregon; Ian Nosek, 42, from Charlottesville, Virginia; Phillip Morris, 42, from Jeffersonville, Indiana; Joseph Purificato, 23, from Mount Vernon, Missouri; Paul Wencewicz, a 48-year-old resident of Polson, Montana; Jeffrey Woolley, 53, from Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Karin Yamilec Aguilar-Melgor, 22, was sentenced Oct. 29 by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales to 78 months in prison after accepting her guilty plea June 5. Aguilar-Melgor must also serve three years of supervised release.

Blasina Vargas, 53, Dolores Vargas, 63, and Ignacio Escandon, 48, were arrested in Houston and will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances H. Stacy Oct. 29.

According to the court documents, the 22 defendants participated in a conspiracy to steal more than $400,000 by forging money orders from the U.S. Postal Service before cashing them at various banks.

HSI special agents arrested Pedro Andujar-Maldonado, 31, after a referral from the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit led to an investigation revealing that a person with Andujar-Maldonado’s computer Internet Protocol address logged on to the Internet and shared child pornography through the peer-to-peer network known as Emule.

Brent R. Heinrich, 41, ordered the alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) from China and had it shipped by FedEx to a false name and address.

HSI special agents arrested Harry Rosario-Cosme, 40, at his home in the municipality of Corozal after a preliminary investigation revealed that he attempted to produce sexually explicit images of a 14-year-old girl.

ICE's top news stories for the week ending Oct. 24, 2014

Martin Lopez-Villela, 51, a U.S. permanent resident residing in Dallas, Texas, was sentenced Oct. 27 by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana to 30 months in federal prison. As a convicted felon, he is expected to face deportation proceedings after he’s released from federal prison.