News Releases and Statements

For the past several months since Operation Youngblood was executed on Sept. 22, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations San Juan has shared updates on the status of the fugitives of the Hasta Los Marcian criminal organization.

The teamwork, community-based partnerships, and strategic law enforcement initiatives helped reduce homicides in Baltimore in 2023 by more than 20%.

Frederick Sayre Anderson, 63, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty Jan.9 to concealing, harboring and shielding a noncitizen from detection.

Paz Gomez-Magdaleno, a 43-year-old resident of Cameron County, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 60, 120 and 240 months for the transportation of undocumented noncitizens, possession of child pornography, and enticement of a minor, respectively.

Tenorio pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2023, admitting that he transported two of his victims from California to Arizona and Texas for the purpose of offering them for commercial sex for his own financial gain.

ERO Washington, D.C. arrested an unlawfully present noncitizen charged with sexually assaulting a Virginia minor and production of child sexual abuse material.

Cory Johns, 42, of Nicholasville, was identified in November 2015, when the Lexington Police Department connected with him via a file sharing program and downloaded images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

ERO Baltimore arrested a 48-year-old unlawfully present noncitizen convicted of sexual crimes against a Maryland minor.

ICE, working in coordination with DHS and CBP, facilitated removal flights, including single adults and family units to Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, Jan. 1 - 5.

On Jan. 3, ERO New York City’s Newburgh suboffice arrested an unlawfully present citizen of Guatemala convicted by Rockland County Court of first-degree sex abuse: sexual contact with individual less than 11 years old.

According to court documents, Erminia Serrano Piedra aka Irma aka Boss Lady, 32, conspired with at least 14 other members of a human smuggling organization she led that facilitated the unlawful transportation and movement of hundreds of migrants within the United States and harbored and concealed the migrants from law enforcement authorities.

ERO designed and launched Operation False Haven in late 2019 to identify and target child sexual abusers and other egregious felons who were convicted after naturalizing for offenses they committed and concealed during the naturalization process.

ICE, working in coordination with DHS and CBP, facilitated removal flights, including single adults and family units to Central America, Ecuador, and Venezuela, Jan. 3.

Nora Nely Avila, 35, pleaded guilty Jan. 3 after she fraudulently presented a nursing license.

Rolando Herrera, 26, pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to conspiracy to smuggle ammunition with intent to promote a felony. His sisters, Ashley Herrera, 22, and Yamileth Herrera, 21, entered their guilty pleas Dec. 12, 2023. All are U.S. citizens and maintain residences in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, of Lagos, Nigeria, faces federal charges in Miami. His co-defendants, Ezennia Peter Neboh; Kennedy Ikponmwosa; Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham; 44; Emmanuel Samuel, 39; and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43; all of London, were all arrested in April 2022 by authorities in Madrid and London. Ezemma remained a fugitive until his surrender and arrest.

On Dec. 27, deportation officers from the ERO Washington, D.C. field office took custody of Jose Leonardo Marquez-Marquez, a 23-year-old Venezuelan national who was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police on Dec. 26.

Ericka Aldana, 40, of Chula Vista, confirmed that she recruited at least five drivers, procured vehicles for their use, obtained passports for them, and coached them on how to dress and answer questions from CBP officers.

ICE working in coordination with DHS and CBP, facilitated removal flights, including single adults and family units to Central America, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela from December 26 - 29.

ICE simultaneously launched its first ever online statistical dashboard for increased transparency into the agency’s operations.

ERO Baltimore apprehended a 49-year-old undocumented noncitizen who has been convicted of prostitution charges.

Dementrous Von Smith, 36, of Waldorf, Maryland, received a sentence of 53 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Dec. 15, for a wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in relation to the submission of fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance claims in Maryland, California, and Arizona totaling at least $1.5 million.

The Iranian national is also a permanent resident of Canada and a national security priority who is wanted by Canadian authorities on assault charges.

Deportation officers from the ERO Washington, D.C. field office removed Rojer Mauricio Sarmiento-Gutierres, 45, of Honduras from the United States Dec. 27.

ICE, working in coordination with DHS and CBP, facilitated removal flights, including single adults and family units to Central America and Venezuela from December 26 - 27