News Releases and Statements

June 20 was an awful day. In a robbery gone awry, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent was stabbed to death in a taxi in Bogota, Colombia.

During the course of the arrests, law enforcement also discovered and seized about 400 pounds of marijuana and thousands of dollars in U.S. currency, as well as several utility trailers, tractors, vehicles and firearms.

Alex Gonzalez-Arango, 39, of Buenaventura, Colombia, pleaded guilty March 11, 2014. "This case exemplifies the strong relationship between federal agencies in the central Florida region, working together to increase the safety of our citizens," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

Zeng Wei, 51, a major shareholder and director of United Win Holdings Limited, was arrested Jan. 27 by HSI special agents. Zeng later waived his right for the extradition proceedings in the United States and agreed to surrender himself to Hong Kong voluntarily.

HSI's Rapid Response Team (RRT) joined the multiagency effort at the request of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) Search and Rescue Team. HSI's RRT has trained alongside and collaborated closely with LASD rescue personnel in the past.

Pichoch Herrera-Ortega, aka "Pedro Ortega-Rondon," aka "Pedro Rondon-Silvestre," aka "Jose Rivera," aka "Omar Rivera," aka "Omar Acevado," 35, of Philadelphia, was originally removed from the country in December 2011. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Investigators at the HSI Cyber Crimes Center say that these shocking statistics are a reminder about how dangerous the Internet can be and that summer is a good time for parents to talk to their children about online safety. "Summer vacation is a time when children and teens often have more access to the Internet, making this a good time to talk about how to stay safe online," said Patrick Redling, unit chief of the center's child exploitation investigations unit.

Juan Carlos Tellar-Mendoza, 27, of Scranton, who was originally removed from the country in 2004, faces two years in prison if convicted.

Rafael Sanchez, 50, formerly of Hazleton, was arrested in January. According to court documents, from 2011 to 2014, Sanchez used the identities of unknowing third parties to prepare and file fraudulent federal income tax returns.

Antonio Figueroa-Zamora, 29, who was living in Stroudsburg, was originally removed from the country in December 2010. He faces two years in prison if convicted.

The manufacture of synthetic drugs is a recent development designed to circumvent traditional drug laws. This is done by creating new chemical compounds that mimic the effects of drugs like marijuana and cocaine but purport to avoid the classification of a controlled substance because of a chemical alteration. Synthetic drugs are most frequently marketed as legitimate products and sold in typical commercial outlets such as convenience stores and gas stations.

Luigi Coppola, 46, who was living in Chambersburg, was originally removed from the country in December 2007. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Phillip Amisano-Camillo, 43, a resident of Canada, was sentenced on a single count of enticing a minor for sexual purposes.

Following the execution of a state search warrant at his "Get In Tha Game" store, Gregory Williamson, 50, was taken into custody by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and investigators from the San Bernardino County District Attorney's (SBDA) Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

Maksym Shynkarenko, 35, of Kharkov, Ukraine, operated the website between 2005 and 2008. Shynkarenko was initially detained in Thailand in January 2009 pending extradition. He was transported to the United States and has been in federal custody since making his initial court appearance in June 2012. Shynkarenko previously pleaded guilty to the charge in January in Newark federal court.

Operation Cross Check, which began May 18 and concluded Saturday, is the latest effort by ICE to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators. Arrests were made in the following six states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri. The 287 men and 10 women arrested are from 29 countries.

The group of financial and cybercrime investigators, as well as prosecutors, discussed ongoing worldwide criminal cases, involving the criminal use of virtual currencies to purchase, among other items, narcotics and contraband online. Participants at this first-ever international meeting of law enforcement on the criminal exploitation of virtual currencies voiced concerns over the anonymity of financial transactions through some virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, and the challenges this poses to "following the money" during criminal investigations.

The following Hyattsville residents were named in the indictment: Hector Daniel Villanueva-Cortez, aka Muertito, 24; Roni Arriola-Palma, aka Maniako, 24; Luiz Guzman-Ventura, aka Casper or Chele, 20; and Jose Rodriguez-Nunez, aka El Killer, 25.

Joseph L. Bryer, 53, of Grove City, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak.

Pablo Christian Larumbe Rojas, 34, was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General's Office. A warrant issued by authorities in Mexico City accuses Larumbe of murder and kidnapping in connection with the September 2010 disappearance of Carlos Palomares Maldonado, who purportedly owed the suspect's criminal confederates roughly $3,000.

Wei Li, age unknown, of Clifton, Colorado, was arrested without incident at the Balanced Healing Massage and Spa (Balanced Healing) in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Duc Luu, 50, was indicted in August 2011 while he was living in Vietnam. He was indicted on one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of money laundering.

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending June 13, 2014

Mokorya Cosmas Wambura was sentenced June 16 by Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow who also ordered Wambura to pay restitution of more than $400,000.