News Releases and Statements

A Pennsylvania man, Hao Yang, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, including counterfeit military items.

The owner of a Los Angeles employment agency, Lilia Tabafunda, was sentenced Monday morning to two years in prison on charges stemming from a probe that revealed she filed bogus work visa petitions on behalf of dozens of aliens she falsely claimed had been recruited for positions with prominent hospitals and non-profit organizations.

Tod Hipsher, 51, of Irvine, pleaded guilty to a 1-count criminal information charging him with conducting an illegal gambling business.

Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, A. Lee Bentley III, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and Adolfo Barattolo, the consul general for the Italian Consulate in Miami, participated in the repatriation ceremony.

Nares Lekhakul, 36, a US lawful permanent resident living in Bellevue, will serve 24 months in prison and his brother Naris Lekhakul, 42, will serve 36 months.

Ramiro Adame-Lopez, 51, was living and working illegally in the United States. ERO officers turned him over to Mexican authorities on El Paso's Stanton Street Bridge about 10 a.m. at the U.S.-Mexico international border.

Timothy Murray was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Wednesday for possession and distribution of more than 650 movies and 450 images of child pornography. Murray had previously served as a Catholic priest before being removed when substantiated allegations of Murray's prior sexual abuse of a young boy came to light.

Padraic Collins, 46, faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Two brothers, who operate six kiosks at a local mall, pleaded guilty Wednesday to trafficking in counterfeit goods.

HSI special agents arrested Raheem T. Creque, aka Shano, after they received information from the USVIPD regarding a complaint made by a 17-year-old female who claimed she was being blackmailed and sexually assaulted by Creque.

Sergio Ramos-Lopez, 46, a Mexican national who most recently lived in the Bend area, pleaded guilty to the illegal reentry charge last September.

Under the escort of ERO officers, Pawel Wojciech Chrzanovski, 25, departed Wednesday on a commercial flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and was turned over to law enforcement officials in Poland Jan. 23.

A forensic analysis of Don Osborne's computer revealed more than 1,000 images of child pornography. At the time of this offense, Osborne was on probation for a previous sex offense in Florida.

Cecilio Mercedes de la Cruz, Victor Manuel Carela and Manuel Guzman de los Santos, all citizens of the Dominican Republic, were sentenced Wednesday to a collective sentence of 49 years for trafficking 918 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of $22 million.

Four individuals were sentenced this week for their respective roles in trafficking the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.

Parminder Sidhu from Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to export from the United States five kilograms or more of cocaine following a joint investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Peel Regional Police Service.

Travis James McReynolds, 32, from Pearland, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa to 351 months and 60 months in federal prison for the producing and distributing convictions, respectively; these sentences will run concurrently.

Timothy McCullouch Jr., 28, an El Paso County juvenile probation officer, was arrested Friday by HSI and FBI special agents.

A new international agreement was signed Wednesday by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Paraguayan Attorney General's Office to streamline information sharing regarding suspected child pornography.

Parker Antron Coleman, 28, of Charlotte was sentenced to 30 years in prison for marijuana trafficking and money laundering, plus a consecutive 30 years for firearms offenses, announced US Attorney Anne M. Tompkins.

HSI special agents arrested Lorena Gomez, 33, a U.S. citizen, and 13 aliens Friday in Laurel. MBI investigators simultaneously arrested two Mississippi Department of Public Safety employees on forgery-related charges.

Highland Engineering Inc. and Ultra Aluminum, both of Howell, have pledged to protect the integrity of their workforce by joining IMAGE.

Roman Georgiyevich Kvinikadze, a citizen of Russia, was sentenced Friday to almost five months in federal prison (time served) for conspiracy to illegally export military-grade thermal imaging scopes to his home country.

Agustin Ramiro Ocampo-Tobar, 33, is charged with murdering four people in October 2011 in Santo Domingo, Ecuador.

According to court documents, law enforcement found $304,050 hidden within the tires of a salvaged G-35 Infiniti that was being transported on I-75.