News Releases and Statements

Armando Duenez was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to export firearms and failure to appear. The investigation began when weapons recovered in Mexico were traced back to him.

HSI was able to intercept close to $3 million dollars before it reached the Zeta organization.

Jesse Bruner was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to trafficking of 10 bundles totaling 238.95 pounds of marijuana, which resulted from an investigation by special agents with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Federal officials Wednesday announced the sentencing of three area residents involved in an eastern Idaho drug trafficking ring dismantled as a result of a nine-month Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) probe led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI.

The defendants arrested Wednesday morning are expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Dwight R. Spaulding was sentenced Tuesday for producing and possessing fraudulent government credentials in a case investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The couple conspired with food stamp card holders to redeem cash back from grocery transactions, which is illegal.

James Douglas Barding, 60, of Jefferson City, was charged in a superseding indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., April 24. The indictment was unsealed and made public Tuesday in conjunction with Barding's initial court appearance. Barding is a practicing attorney.

Heriberto Aleman-Aguero, 25, was sentenced Tuesday to 56 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, after child pornography photos were discovered last August when Aleman-Aguero turned his cellphone over to technicians at a Rexburg wireless retail store.

Elsa Guadalupe-Gonzales, 24, was found unresponsive in her cell Sunday evening by another detainee, who found her hanging.

Robbie Newby, 45, from Grapeland, Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury April 17 and charged with four counts of sexually exploiting a child, and one count of possessing child pornography. Newby had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love April 29.

More than $90,000 was also seized from PayPal accounts associated with the seized websites.

Daniel Lewis Dolde, 43, of Coraopolis, Pa., was charged in federal court with committing the offense. HSI special agents discovered videos and images on his computer depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Michael Cannon was indicted by a federal grand jury April 9. HSI special agents determined the true identities of the two minor victims that Cannon is alleged to have photographed and posted online, and the victims have been referred to child services and are receiving appropriate care.

Hundreds of items of counterfeit San Francisco Giants clothing seized by the Department of Homeland Security during last year's World Series are being donated to World Vision International, a non-profit organization that provides aid to the needy around the globe.

HSI Special Agents William "Cody" Nuckles and Gregory Kelly were among several law enforcement officers, prosecutors, social workers and victim witness specialists honored during a ceremony at the U.S. Attorney's Office for their work providing vital support and services to crime victims.

Kingsley Iyare Osemwengie, a Las Vegas felon living a life of luxury made possible by drug proceeds, was sentenced Monday to 210 months in federal prison for his role in what prosecutors say is the largest federal oxycodone trafficking case in Oregon's history. 18 defendants have been convicted.

Timothy Valdez, a Modesto man who became the subject of an international law enforcement search after Danish authorities saw him molesting a young boy in a video posted on the Internet, has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.

World IP Day was started by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is celebrated April 26 every year in order to promote discussion of the role of intellectual property in encouraging innovation and creativity.

Anyone who visits a website seized by the government for counterfeiting violations will now be met with a public service announcement (PSA) that educates them about the impact that such crime has on global economics and its links to organized crime.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and the National Association of Theatre Owners announced the planned release of a new trailer Friday aimed at educating the public about the laws against movie piracy.

Oldrich Tomanek, a national of the former Czechoslovakia who had been in the custody of U.S. ICE since April 2, passed away Thursday at Haskell Memorial Hospital (HMH) due to heart failure, based on a preliminary determination.

"The HSI investigation revealed that Rama Putra engaged in a conspiracy to promote and conceal the profits of a temporary employment agency known as ""H and Y Staffing Inc.,"" operating out of a Scranton address. The business recruited, employed, and transported an illegal work force. "

Robert Schmaltz, 36, from Bismarck, N.D., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to receiving materials involving minors being sexually exploited.