News Releases and Statements

According to his plea agreement, Habtom Merhay, 47, who operated primarily from his residence in Dubai, orchestrated the unlawful smuggling of up to 99 undocumented African nationals into the United States for profit.

Jason Christopher Paur, 44, of Seattle, who is currently incarcerated in Canada pending voyeurism charges, was arrested last December by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after female students discovered a hidden camera in their bathroom.

Rahdel Sharbaan, 41, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. Co-defendant Gary Barham, 52, of Easton, Maryland, pleaded guilty Sept. 15, to the same charge.

When sentenced, Farrukh Baig, 58, of Head of Harbor, New York and Malik Yousaf, 52, of South Setauket, New York face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, and Bushra Baig, 50, of Head of Harbor, New York, Shahnawaz Baig, 63, of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Zahid Baig, 53, of Chesapeake, Virginia face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The training, which is taking place in Uruguay and is being funded by the Department of State’s (DOS) Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), will focus on investigative techniques to identify cross-border crimes. These techniques have proven successful in combating the smuggling of bulk cash and other contraband.

The attorney, Robert Dekelaita, 51, of Glenview, Illinois, and his contract interpreter, Adam Benjamin, 61, of Skokie, Illinois, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit immigration and naturalization fraud.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Sept. 19, 2014

John Jaramillo, 45, of Albuquerque, was arrested April 24 by HSI special agents on a criminal complaint charging him with receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. At the time of his arrest, Jaramillo was a registered nurse employed by two home healthcare providers that provide mental health and medical care for children and adolescents.

Expected to open in December, the South Texas Family Residential Center will be the fourth facility the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using to increase its capacity to detain and expedite the removal of adults with children who illegally crossed the Southwest border.

Cristian Gutierrez pleaded guilty in June 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of second-degree child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, on June 26, 2013, Jerardo Villareal, of Arvin, and co-conspirator Jorge Guevera were arrested after attempting to sell 17 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover Kern County Sheriff's deputy they met up with in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.

Of the 81 arrested, all individuals were either previously removed, ordered removed and failed to comply, or had prior convictions for crimes.

Brandon Tooley, 33, of Kokomo, was sentenced Sept. 18 to 72 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker.

Hayatullah Dawari, 62, of Philadelphia, is an Afghanistan national, who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States on or about Nov. 11, 2008.

Jason Ryan Bickham, 32, of Orange, Texas, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography Sept. 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn.

Kevin Robinson, 53, of Washington, D.C., admitted to transporting a minor to his government office to engage in sex.

Investigators released photos Wednesday of the drugs seized Sept. 10 in Ferndale at the Grandview Business Center.

Harold Rinko, 72, of Hallstead, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including items used to detect chemical warfare agents, from the United States to Syria, in violation of federal law.

On Sept. 17, state and federal authorities arrested eight El Paso residents for their roles in the RICO conspiracy. Those arrested include: Raul Lopez, aka Garfield, 34; Manuel Minjares, aka Manny, 54; Eugene Lozano, aka Gino, Polvos, 43; Gabriel Aldana, aka Mookie, 43; Rito Alvarez, aka Ewok, 35; Jose Minjares, aka Paz, 55; Ramon Sanchez, aka Magic, 48; and Jose Angel Barrios, aka Chamuco, 43.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Sept. 12, 2014

Erik A. Hentzen, 26, of Lexington, was sentenced Sept. 16 by U.S. District Judge Joseph M. Hood to 20 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release. Under federal law, Hentzen will have to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.

Erik Perez-Bazan, 27, from Hidalgo, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to 75 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

In June 2014, Dereck Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking children.

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. Marmilev was arrested in Brooklyn in May 2013.

On Sept. 5, 2013, Pedro Luis Baez-Torres, of Cidra, was arrested at his place of work in Cayey after an HSI investigation, stemming from a Puerto Rico Police Department referral, revealed he allegedly requested sexually explicit images from a 14-year-old female minor.