News Releases and Statements

Two former employees of a local pizzeria pleaded guilty Thursday to immigration document fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Russell Gardner of Erie, Pa. pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession of child pornography, following an investigation by ICE's HSI and the FBI. During the forensic review of Gardner's computer after his November 2009 arrest, agents discovered images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Timothy Sorrell, 63, of Panama City, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 15 and charged with distribution and receipt of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 17.

Leonard Wasylyk of Wilmington, Del. was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for production and transportation of child pornography. Forensic analysis of Wasylyk's computer revealed that Wasylyk distributed sexually explicit images of a child that he produced to other child sex offenders while bragging about having molested the boy.

A Pakistani citizen was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to provide material support to the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

ICE's Counter-Proliferation Investigations Program, housed within the agency's HSI, safeguards national security by preventing sensitive U.S. technologies and weapons from reaching the hands of adversaries.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging Samuel George Hurd III and Toby Lujan each with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Michael Bagri, a citizen of Canada, pleaded guilty in a case involving the discovery and seizures over several months of more than one-quarter ton of cocaine.

"Ten people are in custody following the predawn interdiction Wednesday of a Mexican ""panga"" boat loaded with more than a ton of marijuana along the Ventura County coast north of Los Angeles. "

Xavier Degollado, 31, of McAllen, Texas, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez on Jan. 3. By pleading guilty to receiving child pornography, Degollado acknowledged that he had downloaded child pornography and was aware that it was illegal to do so.

To coincide with the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic held in Philadelphia yesterday, officials enforced counterfeiting laws by seizing fake sports merchandise from international mail facilities and local street vendors.

Thomas Jefferson, 50, and James Robinson, 41, pleaded guilty on Jan. 3 before U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. Jefferson also pleaded guilty to possessing the stolen goods. Alan Verschleisser, 66, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty in a sealed proceeding on Dec. 20, 2011, to the same charge.

A federal grand jury has indicted six foreign nationals on charges related to an Internet sales scheme that allegedly defrauded Americans who attempted to purchase automobiles and other vehicles on the Internet through websites that included eBay Motors, Auto Trader, Yahoo Auto, Edmunds.com and Craigslist.

"Manuel Tijerina-Herrera, a U.S. permanent resident residing in McAllen, Texas, was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing an unregistered silencer and for his leadership role in a weapons ""straw purchasing"" ring."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced new measures to ensure that individuals being held by state or local law enforcement on immigration detainers are properly notified about their potential removal from the country and are made aware of their rights.

Across the United States, gangs threaten public safety in neighborhoods and communities.

A Mexican national wanted for murder was turned over to Mexican law enforcement personnel at the San Ysidro border crossing by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered that Lee Lewis, 50, of Slaton, Texas, surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on Jan. 26. Lewis is a former officer with the Slaton Police Department. U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas announced the sentence.

Todd Evans, 27, of St. Clair, Pa., used a computer to download and distribute images of child pornography between October 2011 and Dec. 7, 2011.

Ramon Vasallo, 48, and Marlene Vasallo, 49, both Cuban nationals, were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their release from prison.

A former agent for Innospec Inc. was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine for his participation in a conspiracy to defraud the United Nations Oil for Food Program (OFFP) and for bribing former Iraqi government officials in connection with the sale of a chemical additive used in the refining of leaded fuel.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center led this international enforcement effort targeting the sale and importation of counterfeit and pirated goods.

A La Jolla, Calif., bakery, The French Gourmet, Inc., along with its owner and manager, were sentenced in federal court Thursday on charges stemming from a four-year probe by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that the business hired illegal alien workers. The defendants were fined nearly $400,000.

A South Texas man pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of marijuana.

U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Hermelinda Andrade, 46, a U.S. permanent resident living in Garland, Texas, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. She is expected to be deported after she completes her prison term.