News Releases and Statements

After a five-day trial in Albany, a jury has convicted Annie George of Rexford, N.Y., of harboring an illegal alien.

William Jesus Brandel-Mena, a Honduran criminal alien convicted of child molestation in Florida, pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of illegally re-entering the United States following a prior removal.

Micalia Valenzuela, an Everett woman heavily involved with a Mexican drug trafficking organization, was sentenced Friday to five years in prison following a probe by the Seattle-area Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), including ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Hector Aleman Lemos, the former leader of the Flushing, Queens, chapter of the violent international gang La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, pleaded guilty Thursday to racketeering and murder conspiracy charges. This plea stems from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Yonkers (N.Y.) Police Department.

ICE's HSI has presented the MSP and HCSO with funds obtained from a criminal investigation for their assistance in the investigation and successful prosecution of a mid-Michigan dairy farm that was staffed almost exclusively with illegal aliens.

A Maryland man was indicted Thursday on charges of conspiring to export, and exporting, American manufactured industrial products and services to Iran. This indictment follows an investigation by the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore field office.

Dante Christopher Vasquez was sentenced Thursday to more than 17 years in federal prison for taking nude photos of a young girl.

A Sacramento immigration consultant, Sergey Potepalov, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges admitting he oversaw an elaborate scheme involving foreign nationals from Eastern Europe and Russia who paid up to five-figure fees to enter into sham marriages with locally recruited U.S. citizens.

Cesar Alfredo Meza-Garcia, a top-level operative for a powerful Tijuana cartel, who allegedly ran a lucrative importation cell, was extradited from Mexico Thursday to face drug charges in the Southern District of California.

A Mexican citizen was sentenced Wednesday for traveling into the United States with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. The case was investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance from the Webb County Sheriff's Office.

Five Laredo residents pleaded guilty Wednesday to making false statements in connection with firearms purchases from local gun stores, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Twenty-eight individuals have been charged in a 97-count indictment after allegedly stealing $1.7 million from American trucking companies in a sophisticated money-wiring scheme. The indictment follows a two-year probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Preston D. Wilbur was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). A forensic examination of numerous computers, hard drives and USB flash drives seized at Wilbur's residence revealed more than 300,000 images of child pornography.

Oscar Cuapio-Rodriguez was sentenced March 6 to three months in federal prison for illegal re-entering the United States after he was previously deported.

Larry James Allred is expected to be sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to state charges stemming from a probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Anaheim Police Department that revealed he illegally imported counterfeit collectible Disney pins from China and sold them over the Internet.

A federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment Wednesday against three additional south Texas deputies and three other men on drug charges.

Seven members and their associates of the Texas Mexican Mafia (TMM) were arrested Tuesday based on a federal indictment charging them with racketeering influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) to include narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses.

Efren Ulises Cavaness-Morales, 25, of the 8900 block of Lawson Street, is charged with attempted coercion and enticement, and attempted transfer of obscene materials to minors.

Walter Eugene Rogers, 33, of Watauga, Texas, has been in custody since he was arrested in Georgia by officers with the Tallapoosa Police Department on a related charge outlined in a criminal complaint.

Rafael Lara-Mejia, a Dominican national, was sentenced March 5 for his role in a scheme to steal and sell the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.

A federal jury found two members of the Newburgh (N.Y.) Latin Kings, Wilson Pagan and Christian Sanchez, guilty of 29 counts including murder, racketeering, drug, firearms and witness tampering. The guilty verdicts are the result of an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI's Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force.

Ernest Brian Tucker, 59, of Corrales, N.M., will also be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.

Three local men are facing mandatory life imprisonment after a federal jury found them guilty Monday of racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and related crimes after a six-week trial in U.S. District Court.

The owner of a Colorado car dealership and his two associates were arrested Tuesday by federal agents and local officers for structuring and money laundering.