News Releases and Statements

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton joined ICE employees at ICE's Washington, D.C., headquarters Monday to honor the agency's officers and agents who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.

Mercedes Perez, a former reserve officer for the Nueces County Constables Office, was sentenced Monday to 151 months for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, as well as possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. Perez was found to have cocaine and heroin in his car at a U.S.- Mexico border crossing.

A Cuban national, wanted on drug trafficking charges in Spain, was deported and turned over to Spanish officials May 12. He was escorted to Madrid Airport by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and turned over to Spanish law enforcement authorities upon arrival.

During Operation Cross Check, a three-day targeted enforcement operation in Georgia and the Carolinas, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 80 convicted criminal aliens.

The Department of Justice seized more than $1.5 million in proceeds from the distribution of counterfeit sports apparel and jerseys, following an investigation into the sale of counterfeit goods on commercial websites conducted by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which is led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

A Bay Area couple, who operated local elder care facilities, and two area real estate agents were sentenced Thursday in federal court for their role in a far-reaching mortgage loan fraud scheme involving at least 20 northern California properties and more than $20 million in loan proceeds.

Law enforcement authorities made six arrests and seized illegal weapons and drugs this week in Puerto Rico as part of Operation Caribbean Resilience, a joint initiative led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that includes the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) and the San Juan Police Department (SJPD).

Daniel Furrow, 40, of Piqua, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to a year and one day in prison for having approximately 130 visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his personal computer.

A former New York City police officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday for participating in a violent robbery crew.

Roland J. Flath pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Milwaukee to traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Flath, of Fond du Lac, Wis., traveled to Belize in July 2006, and subsequently sexually molested a minor girl from Belize.

Okey F. Nwagbara of Plano, Texas, was sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in a health care fraud conspiracy and providing false information to obtain citizenship. The immigration case was investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

An interstate prostitution ring based in Indianapolis that was operated by three brothers - all illegal aliens - that transported dozens of women on a weekly basis has been dismantled and the brothers sentenced.

Hau Phuc Nguyen, the owner of a local boutique that sells women's clothing and handbags, was arrested Tuesday on federal charges for trafficking in counterfeit goods, following a probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations.

Ricardo Del Valle-Diaz was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 17 years in federal prison for production of a video and audio recording of a special education student engaged in sexually explicit conduct while on the school bus, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Rafael Ortiz-Cedra, a 32-year-old Puerto Rican fugitive wanted by the Puerto Rico Police Department for drug trafficking, was arrested Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Monte Hatillo public housing project in San Juan.

Michael Strausbaugh, 31, was sentenced to 45 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He was also fined $3,500. His wife, Rebecca Strausbaugh, 33, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised releases. She was fined $1,200.

Lynn Lavigne was sentenced in federal court Tuesday on charges of trafficking in counterfeit M-A-C cosmetics and accessory items after an investigation conducted by ICE's HSI.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, has joined together with the FBI and six major American movie studios to launch an updated anti-piracy warning to be displayed on new releases.

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations special agents, working jointly with Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF) officers, seized 154 kilograms of cocaine Friday with an approximate street value of $12 million. Two individuals were detained in connection with the seizure, which occurred north of Dorado, Puerto Rico.

Mauro Rodrigo Hernandez of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, was sentenced May 6, 2012. He was also fined $15,755 (207,900 pesos). The investigation that discovered Hernandez was conducted by a bilateral cyber task force with members from SSP, PGR and HSI.

Joseph Earl Ebenhoeh pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to two counts of possessing sexually explicit images of minors in a case investigated by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. Ebenhoeh admitted to downloading sexually explicit images of minors between November 2010 and July 2011.

ICE's partnerships with local law enforcement agencies in northern San Diego Country have resulted in the arrest of more than 1,000 criminal aliens and immigration violators over the last two years. The majority of these arrests occurred in Escondido, Ca...

Christina Michelle Gonzalez pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to her role in a more than $5 million conspiracy that utilized the Missouri Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens across the United States.

Prudence Kantengwa, aka Prudentienne, 47, of Boston, who is a native and citizen of Rwanda, was convicted of fraud in immigration documents, visa fraud, perjury during testimony before an immigration judge and obstruction of administrative proceedings. Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 31, 2012.