News Releases and Statements

A Mount Vernon, N.Y., woman was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison for false personation, aggravated identity theft and bank fraud. The sentencing is a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

On Thursday, special agents of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and detectives and officers of the Maryland State Police (MSP), Howard County Police Department (HCPD), Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACOPD) and Laurel City Police Department (LCPD) conducted an enforcement operation targeting individuals soliciting prostitution

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on Monday arrested a suspected human rights violator, Mladen Mitrovic, who is charged with fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship by omissions about his background that related to his work as a Serbian concentration camp guard.

Individual defendants charged with conspiracy and manufacturing marijuana face from 10 years to life in prison and up to a $10,000,000 fine.

A Russian national pleaded guilty to bribery following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

More than two dozen members and associates of a Chinese alien smuggling and drug trafficking gang were arrested by special agents with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) during a two day operation.

Alfred E. Daking Jr. was indicted and arraigned Friday for possession and distribution of child pornography. Daking was communicating online with a 13-year-old boy from Phoenix, Ariz. He sent more than 500 emails to the boy, some of which included pornographic attachments featuring children and adults.

Jesus Quinones-Chavez made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday on charges stemming from his alleged role in an effort to smuggle seven Mexican nationals into the United States from Mexico onboard a cabin cruiser that came ashore near San Clemente Monday morning.

Julian Luna-Nieto pleaded guilty Friday to methamphetamine trafficking and witness tampering. This investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).

Special agents arrested Jose Santiago Diaz, 44, a Dominican Republic national who worked in the Queens apartment where heroin was repacked for distribution.

A previously deported Mexican national was sentenced this week to more than four years in prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Faisal Hashime, 20, was convicted of three counts of production of child pornography, which each carry a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison, and two counts of distribution of child pornography, which each carry a sentence of five to 20 years in prison.

Charles LeRoy Earl, 65, of New Braunfels, Texas, appeared before U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia Sept. 20. Judge Garcia sentenced Earl to 360 months in prison and ordered him to serve a life-term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

Eighty-two individuals, who were allegedly held as hostages, were freed Wednesday from a human smuggling stash house - and an additional four suspected human smugglers were arrested - by special agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and officers from the Houston Police Department (HPD).

A man from Puerto Rico was sentenced to 21 months in prison Thursday on 12 counts related to the trafficking of counterfeit goods, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) is donating over 100 surplus computers to four schools through the federal government's Computers for Learning program.

A 70-year-old female bar owner, Song Ja Cha, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to life in prison for her involvement in a sex trafficking scheme that forced young women and one juvenile girl into prostitution.

Christopher Daves of Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty Tuesday to an indictment charging him with possession of child pornography. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents investigated the case.

Gerrett Conover was charged Thursday with receiving and distributing child pornography, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Conover allegedly acknowledged having a long-term relationship with a boy while the boy was 10 to 17 years of age.

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Dariusz Wietocha, a Polish national who is wanted in his home country for manslaughter, was deported and turned over to Polish law enforcement officials Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Yahir Ricardo Garcia-Matias, the leader of a large straw-purchasing ring who was responsible for the purchase of more than 200 firearms, is now headed to prison. The investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working jointly with other members of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), arrested three Dominican Republic nationals for drug trafficking and seized 918 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $22 million Monday off the southern coast of Puerto Rico.

Norman Cipriano, 40, of Warwick, R.I., was arrested without incident after HSI special agents executed a federal search warrant at his residence and discovered large quantities of suspected counterfeit sports apparel and counterfeit health and beauty products.

Joseph Yingling, 40, of Osterburg, Pa., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson to one count of possession of child pornography.