News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending August 14, 2015
Nick S. Annan, who formerly served as the deputy special agent in charge in San Diego., takes over as the new special agent in charge (SAC) of the HSI office in Atlanta. Annan, who supervised more than 250 law enforcement personnel in San Diego, has also held several leadership positions within the agency, including chief of staff for HSI in Washington, D.C., and the deputy attaché in Rome, Italy.
The foreign nationals arrested during this operation all have outstanding removal orders and are subject to repatriation to their countries of origin. Of the 50 known or suspected human rights violators arrested during Operation No Safe Haven II, 10 individuals are also convicted criminal aliens in the U.S. This operation more than doubled the number of known or suspected human rights violators arrested during the first nationwide No Safe Haven operation, which took place in September 2014.
Walter Antonio Larios-Hernandez, 34, a citizen of El Salvador, was arrested on the morning of Aug. 14 after ERO officers located him outside of a residence in Norfolk. Larios-Hernandez was convicted in New Mexico of criminal sexual penetration of a child in 2003 and had separate convictions in Virginia including a conviction for driving under the influence in 2007.
Alexander Pineda-Ponce, 33, was flown to El Salvador Aug. 14 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Pineda was turned over to officials from the El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).
According to Guatemalan authorities Oscar Lopez Guerra, 32, is wanted on possession of firearms charges after he allegedly was involved in a carjacking attempt that resulted in one innocent bystander’s death and another person wounded.
Specifically, Paul Joseph Koestle, 33, of Abilene, Texas, who remains in custody, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.
Robert Lawrence Noll, 40, of Brownwood, Texas, who had been on pretrial release, was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons Sept. 18. Noll was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $27,500.
The 7th Annual Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Law Enforcement Shared Mission Community (LESMC) Roundtable was held at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, D.C., Aug. 11-12. This year’s theme was “Leveraging Information as a Force Multiplier.”
George Wu, 62, of Pico Rivera, who worked as a CBP officer until early 2012, and then operated Great Eastern Immigration Services, was found guilty Thursday of paying bribes in an effort to obtain citizenship and legal permanent resident status for several immigrants.
Fourteen years after its reported theft from a Paris museum, a Pablo Picasso painting will be returned to France. The repatriation of “La Coiffeusse” follows an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as a part of Operation Toile.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Crystal Espinoza, 31, of San Juan, to 60 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Fazliddin Kurbanov, 33, an Uzbek national, was convicted following a 20-day trial before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge. The jury deliberated two days before reaching its verdict.
Marcus Randall Johnston, 42, pleaded guilty Aug. 12 before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.
Jose Lopez-Vega, 34, was arrested without incident at his place of residence. His arrest stemmed from an HSI investigation that revealed that he allegedly used a peer-to-peer (P2P) network to download sexually explicit images depicting child pornography.
Justin Benedict Morales, 40, of San Angelo, who remains in custody, faces a statutory penalty of not less than five years nor more than 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
John Everette Murdock, 70, of Lubbock, Texas, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
Michael Thomas Franks, 43, of Brownwood, Texas, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
In August 2014, HSI special agents arrested Denis Victor Courchesne, 46, of Alberta, Canada, at the Luis Muniz International Airport when he arrived in San Juan from Panama City, Panama, and CBP officers found child pornography in some of the electronic equipment he carried.
Jose Angel Villarreal-Sanchez, 42, of Mexico, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from possessing firearms.
Emma Klem, 45, of Salinas, who worked at a DMV branch in Salinas, and trucking school owner Kulwinder Dosanjh Singh, aka Sodhi Singh, 58, of Turlock, were charged earlier in separate criminal pleadings.
Jaime Flores-Rosales, 43, and Raul Silverio-Contreras, 24, were turned over to Mexican authorities at the top of the Stanton International Bridge. Flores-Rosales is wanted for aggravated homicide in Sonora, Mexico, for the November 2010 murder of Candido Tapia Rios. Silverio-Contreras is wanted for aggravated assault in Puebla, Mexico.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed down the following sentences. Jaime Brewster Sanchez, 40, of Donna, Texas, was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment to be followed by three years supervised release. His wife Gabriela Garcia Candanoza, 37, also from Donna was sentenced to 51-months in federal prison. Both pleaded guilty May 7.
Officials with Home Care Choices, Inc., doing business as Right at Home of Westborough, and ICE formally agreed on Aug. 6 to partner in the "IMAGE" program. The "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers" program partnership was signed during a ceremony held at Right at Home’s offices in Westborough.
Frances Sandoval, 61, and her daughter, Monica Morena, 32, were each sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey to 65 months and 48 months, respectively, in federal prison.
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