News Releases and Statements

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested five individuals and indicted three companies who allegedly participated in a conspiracy to smuggle and clandestinely introduce aluminum imported from China by passing false and fraudulent invoices...

The operator of a local flea market, Jack Frison Sr., turned himself in to authorities Thursday after a federal grand jury indicted him on multiple charges relating to his alleged involvement in selling counterfeit goods.

John J. Frazer, 32, of Silvis, Ill., was sentenced June 20 by U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow, Central District of Illinois, to 300 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Frazer pleaded guilty to the charges Feb. 6.

Twenty members of the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs, Criminal Investigation Department will join the fight against transnational organized crime following their graduation Friday from an elite training program in the United States.

From 2009 to July 2012, Angel Campos Tellez was a leader of a network that transported women to engage in commercial sex acts in Manassas, Woodbridge, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Baltimore and Delaware.

The U.S. ICE Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office strives to administer true transparency and accountability with the public. The office handles as many as 1,000 requests every week, each requiring expert logistical skills, in-depth coordination and countless hours of work.

Seven Los Angeles-area residents have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud for allegedly participating in an identity theft scheme that targeted hundreds of JP Morgan Chase and Co. account holders across the nation and caused more than $1 million in losses.

Two Mexican men made their initial appearance in court on state felony drug and weapons charges following their arrest for allegedly possessing nearly 2,500 pounds of marijuana and three firearms.

James Arthur Abney used cell phones to search the Internet for child pornography images. He saved images of child pornography on his cellphones and downloaded some images into his computer's hard drive.

In late November 2012, HSI special agents noticed an advertisement posted on an Internet message board and determined that it was posted by Billy Ray Doyle. During ensuing email conversations between Doyle and an undercover special agent who posed as a 15-year-old boy, Doyle discussed sexual activity.

Eleven individuals from the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area have been indicted in connection with operating a prostitution ring. Tony Ha is the owner of nine north Texas businesses located in Plano, Dallas and Hurst, which are identified as massage parlors but are alleged to actually operate as places of prostitution, or brothels.

On more than one occasion, Jorge Mercado-Flores transported a 14-year-old female minor to engage in criminal sexual activity with her. He was arrested by HSI special agents Wednesday.

Alan Clifton, of Halethorpe, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and 30 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett. Judge Bennett ordered that, upon his release from prison, Clifton must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee and where he is a student, under SORNA.

Michael Gallanter and Ethan Oliver Wynne-Wade, who flew into Lubbock Aero airport on the evening of April 17, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 kilograms, but less than 100 kilograms, of marijuana.

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, working jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, seized $1.2 million worth of cocaine and $409,000 worth of heroin Monday at the ports of Fajardo and San Juan, respectively.

Kelvin Cook, of Wilmington, was one of the leaders of an organization that recruited multiple drug couriers to travel to Panama in order to smuggle cocaine and heroin into the United States.

Michael Little admitted to buying various pieces of generic glasswork and artwork over the Internet, then falsely claimed to buyers on eBay that they were authentic works by famed Northwest artist Dale Chihuly. Court records say Little grossed at least $40,000 through his scam that ran between 2011 and April 2013.

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Wednesday against Ignacio Garcia that charges one count each of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, transporting illegal aliens, and illegal re-entry after deportation.

After receipt of PRPD's referral, HSI special agents launched an investigation which revealed that Jose Donate-Mieles attempted to persuade an individual whom he believed to be a 13-14 year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

Kerin Hamim allegedly facilitated the employment of dozens of illegal temporary employees to a meat packaging business located in Scranton. It is alleged that Hamim knowingly provided transportation for the illegal workers and paid the illegal workforce in cash on a weekly basis.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents determined that an Internet Protocol address used to receive child pornography belonged to former teacher Theodore Nusbaum.

Four individuals were arrested Tuesday and charged with various counts of bank fraud, money laundering and wire fraud. The defendants engaged in a bank fraud scheme using straw buyers as loan applicants to obtain loans using false financial information and documentation.

HSI and Caribbean Corridor Strike Force partners seized over 1,500 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $24 million and arrested three for drug trafficking earlier this week off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.

Van Haele had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Philippe Jeannard of La Rochelle, France, boarded a commercial airplane March 20 at Philadelphia International Airport. He possessed a fraudulent Air France identification card based on the identification of a former Air France employee and used that fraudulent identification card to gain access to the plane's cockpit.