News Releases and Statements

Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez, aka 'El Flaco,' 35, formerly of Mexico, was arrested as part of an HSI investigation dubbed Operation Dark Night, which has resulted in the conviction of 23 defendants and the rescue of 12 victims.

Shiraz Malik, 36, of Warsaw, Poland, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to distribute controlled substances and listed chemicals, conspiring to import controlled substances and ephedrine into the United States, and conspiring to launder money.

According to the indictment, in October 2013, Miriam Kizzie, 21, and Anthony Pledger, 26, conspired with each other to sex traffic two minors and transport the minors between Massachusetts and Rhode Island to engage in prostitution. In July 2013, Kizzie allegedly trafficked two other minors.

Walter Brown was sentenced Tuesday to two years and one day in prison, along with 25 hours of community service, for aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to produce fraudulently obtained driver's licenses.

Jorge Valadez, 53, was sentenced to four years and four months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge George Kazen. This sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to possessing four videos of child pornography Nov. 13, 2013.

After obtaining the ammunition, Garcia-Ugarte left the parking lot and was pulled over by a Laredo Police Department (LPD) patrol officer for a traffic violation. The officer reported Garcia-Ugarte spoke only Spanish and did not possess a driver's license or any identification.

Paul R. Kleinman, 34, of Jersey City and Verona, previously pleaded guilty to the charge Oct. 2, 2013, in U.S. District Court. As part of his guilty plea, Kleinman admitted that from September to October 2012 he used Skype and FaceTime to communicate online with a minor where he coerced the girl into engaging in sexual activity.

David Herman, 78, of Airmont, N.Y., and St. Croix, was arrested in October 2013 by HSI special agents at the St. Croix airport where he expected to meet the child. He was indicted Tuesday on one felony count of attempting to transport a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Specialized units from CNP's Directorate for Protection and Special Services (DIPRO), assisted by HSI Bogota agents, arrested Sandra Carabali Valencia on child exploitation charges. She is accused of sexually exploiting two children - ages 3 and 9 - who have since been rescued and placed in a home by Colombia's Child Protective Services.

Harley Michael Peterson, 23, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release after he completes his prison term, during which time he will be required to comply with numerous conditions of release designed to minimize his contact with children and access to the Internet.

Sergio Javier Varela-Vallecillo, and his wife, Felicia Inez Varela, were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison time for possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Sergio is a Honduran national who will face removal proceedings following his release from prison.

Frank Rivera, 32, of New London, is one of more than 100 individuals who have been charged with federal and state offenses as a result of this investigation.

Emilio Omar Briones-Aparicio, 32, was escorted to the Lincoln Juarez Port in Laredo, Texas, and turned over to Mexico's Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR).

An Egyptian human trafficking victim enslaved as a girl in southern California wrote an autobiography that details her ordeal and subsequent life in the U.S. after being rescued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and the local police department.

The investigation into Daniel M. Layne, 33, began in Maine when the mother of a 14-year-old girl discovered a motel key card in her daughter's pants pocket and sexually graphic text messages on her cellphone.

The operation, which began in June, netted 397,140 items including fake jerseys, ball caps, T-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs. The items had a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of more than $37.8 million – more than the previous six Super Bowl enforcement efforts combined.

Gregorio Rodriguez-Aranda, 25, and Maria Luisa Sanchez-Lopez, 24, appeared before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez Feb. 13. Judge Alvarez sentenced Rodriguez and Sanchez to 57 and 46 months imprisonment, respectively.

The owner of a Bridgeview vehicle diagnostic center has been charged with felony counterfeit trademarks after at least two dozen counterfeit airbags were found at his business.

Kwan Yong Choi, 73, who pleaded guilty Feb. 10, faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced April 21.

Between February 2013 and early February 2014, Dale Wray Fulford, 77, used, persuaded, induced and enticed a girl, under age 18, to engage in sexually explicit conduct that he recorded on a digital camera.

Hector Javier Villarreal, the former Secretary of Finance for the Mexican State of Coahuila, Mexico, appeared before a U.S. District Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad Feb. 13 to face formal charges of money laundering.

An Arizona man, Shane Grafman, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana, as well as a separate charge of money laundering conspiracy, Wednesday in Buffalo.

Fourteen defendants have been indicted on a variety of federal drug trafficking offenses for their role in a far-reaching scheme based in California's Central Valley to produce and distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is seeking the public's help to identify possible victims of Blaine K. Nipp, a convicted sex offender indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on multiple child exploitation charges.

According to the factual resume filed in the case, Joshua Earls, 30, of Garland, Texas, admitted that while he was a youth pastor, he established a relationship with a girl at his church, 'Jane Doe,' who was 16 years old at the time.