News Releases and Statements

Derrick Gossett, 33, originally arrested on state charges, was taken into custody on child pornography allegations Sept. 6, 2013. He made his initial appearance shortly thereafter and was ordered into custody, where he has remained since that time.

David Waldrop, 56, of Luling, Texas, was sentenced Monday to 76 months in federal prison by Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey, to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Matthew Tinkle, 27, of Heber Springs, was initially indicted with two counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

According cellular phone records obtained in the case, Maximilano Reynoso, 39, of Winter Haven, was in direct contact with methamphetamine sources of supply in Mexico. Reynoso's co-defendant, Gerardo Millian, 29, of Auburndale, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison April 24.

Universal Aerospace, Co. Inc., is now among the hundreds of businesses to sign on as an "IMAGE" or "ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers" partner. IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows businesses to partner with the agency to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents. Universal Aerospace supplies companies including C&D Zodiac, B/E Aerospace and Jamco America.

The 22 law enforcement officials are joining the fight against transnational criminal organizations after spending three weeks in classroom seminars and practical exercises as part of the ITAT program, which provides vetted foreign law enforcement officers with training very similar to that of the agency's special agents.

Pedro Curiel-Herrera, 35, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General's Office at the San Ysidro port of entry. Curiel is charged with homicide in an arrest warrant issued in January 1999 in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

The following individuals are each charged with one count of unlawfully manufacturing/delivering a controlled substance, a Class X Felony: Luis Hernandez, 47; Jose Hernandez, 27; and Andres Hernandez, 24, all of Elgin, Illinois. Luis Hernandez is the father of both Jose and Andres Hernandez. All three were taken into custody without incident.

Raymundo Silva, 35, was indicted in August 2013 on conspiracy, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. His two co-defendants were also indicted at the same time: Christina Knight, 29, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Patricia Diaz, 35, of Los Lunas, N.M.

The newly modified Karnes County Residential Center (KCRC) is one of several facilities 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.

Daniel M. Layne, 34, was sentenced to a total of 300 months in prison by U.S. District Judge David Hittner. Evidence presented at the hearing established that Layne had been communicating via the Internet with underage girls and discussing engaging in sexual activity with them.

Antonio M. Taylor, 30, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison without parole after being convicted on nine separate criminal counts.

Robert Miller, 65, of Hackensack, faces felony charges distributing images of child pornography over the Internet. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court Wednesday afternoon and was ordered held without bail.

Gary Kent, 41, of Dresher, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge R. Padova. He was indicted by a federal grand jury May 30, 2013 and pleaded guilty January 24, 2014 to one count each of distribution of child pornography and possession of child exploitation material.

In addition, Franklin Stuart King, 40, was ordered to serve a life term of supervision and register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Solorzano-Tavila, Sesmas-Borja and Cesmas-Borja were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal, to respective terms of 60, 54 and 51 months in federal prison for the conspiracy charge. In addition, each will serve consecutive 60-month sentences for using a firearm resulting in total sentences ranging from 120 to 111 months in federal prison.

Joseph Cespedes, 37, a Manchester police officer at the time of the HSI investigation, was associating with an individual in Lawrence, Massachusetts, who was the target of a separate drug-related investigation. Federal investigators discovered that the targeted drug dealer enlisted Cespedes to run criminal records checks on certain stolen identities to determine whether they were clear of outstanding arrest warrants.

U.S. schools must complete the Web-based Form I-17, "Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Students," before they can enroll international students. This form consists of several fields about the school, including its full legal name, mailing address, type of educational programs offered, accreditation information and more.

German Espinosa-Hernandez, aka Ferdinand Gonzalez-Velez, 36, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On July 23, Alberto Bautista-Sanchez, 30, also a citizen of Mexico, living in the U.S. illegally, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

John Richard Balyo, 34, of Grand Rapids, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a maximum of 50 years.

According to court documents, between 2010 and 2013, Vinston Boxton-Moises, 49, of San Andres Island, Colombia, was documented as having dispatched approximately 7.7 tons of cocaine on go-fast vessels (GFVs) ultimately destined for the United States and was a knowing and willing participant in an ongoing plan to smuggle cocaine by sea.

Arleigh Joe Esqueda, 35, of Newton, Iowa, pleaded guilty to the charge and received an immediate sentence on one count of knowingly possessing child pornography that included images of prepubescent children under 12.

According to court documents, from 2003 until January 2005, Luis Alberto Urrego-Contreras acquired private aircraft and pilots on behalf of Colombian cocaine trafficker Fabio Enrique Ochoa-Vasco for the purpose of transporting cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. The cocaine was later imported into the United States for distribution by Ochoa-Vasco.

Timothy Beaver, 49, was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, to forfeit the computer equipment he used to commit the office and to serve a life term of supervised release.