News Releases and Statements

Ian Quincy Winn, 48, admitted in an April plea agreement to receiving child pornography and engaging in online chats about child sex abuse with undercover HSI special agents.

The 10-count indictment charges Marla Ahlgrimm, 59, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Balbir Bhogal, 67, of Las Vegas, Nevada, with importing and distributing controlled substances and misbranded drugs, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, mail and wire fraud, smuggling and money laundering.

Cesar Mujica-Aranda, 25, of Liberty, Missouri, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to the charge contained in a March 20 federal indictment.

Tong Yang, 46, of Stella, Missouri, was sentenced Sept. 15 by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 13 years in federal prison without parole. Yang pleaded guilty May 1, admitting to traveling to Minnesota to pick up a 15-year-old girl and bring her back to Missouri with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Benjamin J. Daniels, 37, of West Bountiful, Utah, admitted to conspiring to distribute and posses with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. His brother, Michael Daniels, 32, of Tiverton, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty August 28 to conspiracy to distribute and posses with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana.

Juan Ramon Yuen-Rodriguez, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charge in May. According to the plea agreement, Yuen-Rodriguez and co-defendant Jose Felix-Burgos were stopped by law enforcement in August 2013 while driving to deliver methamphetamine to an undercover officer acting as a buyer in Heyburn, Idaho. In a box in the back seat of the vehicle officers found more than 2 kilograms of actual methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Darrell Roby, 41, of Orlando, sold prescription pills to a confidential informant (CI) Jan. 27. He also sold prescription pills and a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver to a CI Feb. 12.

Counterfeit jerseys, headwear, T-shirts, and other souvenir items are among the counterfeit merchandise typically sold at and around these events. Large sporting events are prime targets for counterfeiters, many of whom travel the country with the sole intention of scamming sports fans.

Paul David Culbreth, 52, of Loxahatchee, pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity May 15.

Operation Buckeye Storm commenced in March 2010 after special agents connected a loose network of heroin traffickers who were already under scrutiny by local authorities.

"It's important for all of ICE to have our employees recognized for the hard work they're doing in the field. And it shows our collaboration with the Justice Department," said HSI Executive Associate Director Peter Edge.

"This case is a testament to the great work of HSI, and clearly shows that the Department of Homeland Security will follow the trail of criminal proceeds wherever it leads, whether it's around the block or around the world," said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. "With the help of our Taiwanese law enforcement partners, these seizures not only deny criminals their profits, they also disrupt their ability to further fund their criminal activity."

Johnny Ray Martinez, 25, from Abilene, Texas, pleaded guilty in May to one count of attempting to produce child pornography. He has been in custody since his arrest in February on a related criminal complaint.

Jack Frison Sr., 65, of Frontenac, Missouri, was convicted on one felony count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, one felony count of aiding and abetting copyright infringement, and one felony count of aiding and abetting trafficking counterfeit goods.

According to documents filed in the case, in July 2013, Steven Edward Robb, 59, of Abilene, Texas, knowingly received two video files depicting minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

HSI Special Agent Emily Evans, originally from Pittsburgh, received the prestigious award in late August at WIFLE’s annual leadership training conference in Washington, D.C.

Charles Pelts, 35, of Marietta, was also sentenced to a lifetime supervised release. Pelts will also be required to register federally as a sex offender when he is released from prison. He pleaded guilty May 14.

IMAGE stands for ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers. As part of this agreement, Titania has pledged to maintain a secure and stable workforce and curtail the employment of unauthorized workers through outreach and education.

Authorities arrested nine defendants and seized what is estimated to be at least $65 million in cash and bank deposits stemming from asset forfeiture actions filed as part of the ongoing investigations.

The Sinclair Services Company subsidiary, which operates hotel and resort properties in Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California, and Idaho, will avoid criminal prosecution in exchange for its full cooperation with HSI’s investigation and taking action to correct its hiring practices.

Kevin Michael Stehlik was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell to 396 months imprisonment, to be followed by supervised release for life and restitution in the amount of $25,000.00.

Randy Coleman, Jr., 32, formerly of Pittston and his co-conspirators, including Gregory Boone, who pleaded guilty last week, admitted to participating in a scheme to use minor females to engage in prostitution.

Robert Bandfield, 70, a U.S. citizen; Andrew Godfrey, 51, citizen of Belize; Kelvin Leach, 34, and Rohn Knowles, 29, citizens of the Bahamas, Brian D Wit, 45, and Cem Can, 44, citizens of Canada; and six corporate defendants: IPC Management Services, LLC; IPC Corporate Services Inc.; IPC Corporate Services LLC (collectively, IPC Corp); Titan International Securities, Inc. (Titan); Legacy Global Markets S.A. (Legacy); and Unicorn International Securities LLC (Unicorn), allegedly coordinated a $500 million offshore asset protection, securities fraud and money laundering scheme.

Quan Liu, 26, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to one count of conspiring to harbor aliens who were in the United States illegally.

Walter E. Ackerman, 56, of Lebanon, Kansas, pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted using AOL email to send child pornography to another user.