News Releases and Statements

Diego Cortez-Angel, a Mexican national residing in Fayetteville, Ark., was sentenced on Sept. 26 to 60 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy. He was the leader of an Arkansas cell of a highly sophisticated and violent fraudulent document trafficking organization based in Mexico, with cells in 19 cities and 11 states...

Jeffrey Wayne Day, 24, has been in federal custody since his Sept. 2 arrest on related charges outlined in a federal criminal complaint. According to that complaint, a detective with the Dallas Police Department, who was investigating persons involved in sharing child pornography via a peer-to-peer network, found several files indicative of child pornography that he traced to Day.

A 43-year-old Mexican national was found guilty on Friday by a federal jury for alien smuggling that resulted in the death of nine illegal aliens.

A 56-year-old Ecuadorian national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) passed away early Monday morning at the Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, N.J., due to an apparent heart attack.

Former U.S. probation officer Armando Mora was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on Monday for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and for bribing a public official. The case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance by the FBI.

Two U.S. citizens were arrested Sunday for attempting to transport cocaine concealed in a backpack through the San Juan seaport.

Mark Anthony Permenter was sentenced Friday to 30 years in federal prison for production and distribution of child pornography from an investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Permenter had contact with an undercover postal inspector and sent him a sample of his child pornography via the Internet.

The items were seized from a local flea market, three storage units and a box truck.

More than $1.8 million in cash, and cocaine with an estimated street value of $10 million, was seized earlier this month at a property in northwest Indiana. The seizure resulted from an investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Indiana State Police's Drug Enforcement Section (DES), and the Newton County...

Richard Sleeva waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of possession of a stolen firearm stemming from his possession of stolen firearms silencers. The plea is the result of an investigation conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

David Durham, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to eight years and one month in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receiving child pornography. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian W. Enos.

The year-long investigation resulted in an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Sept. 15 charging 24 defendants with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

John Foster, 36, of Maineville, Ohio, was charged in an indictment returned Wednesday. He is the co-owner of the Primrose School at River's Bend, a suburban Cincinnati child day care facility.

Gregory Davis of North Tonawanda, N.Y. pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography due to 100 images and 60 videos of child pornography found on his computer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The investigation is being conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

J. Guadalupe Hernandez, the owner of El Jimador Mexican Restaurant in upstate New York, has been charged with harboring three illegal aliens in the basement of his business. ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents found the three men living in the basement during the execution of a search warrant at the restaurant in March 2011.

The paintings were stolen from Poland by the Nazis in 1944 and recovered following an ICE HSI investigation.

Ian Hartney, 21, of Newport News, Va., pleaded guilty today to three counts of receipt of child pornography following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Gary Daniel Beeman, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack on Sept. 21, following his indictment in April. He pleaded guilty to the felony offense on July 13, admitting to distributing images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Allen Manuel Ortega, 30, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on Sept. 21 by U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. Ortega pleaded guilty May 25 to using the Internet to coerce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity between Feb. 17 and March 4.

A 'Raza Unida' gang leader was sentenced on Wednesday to 27 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder in furtherance of a racketeering enterprise, announced U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno, Southern District of Texas.

Gregory C. Bukowski, 22, of Baltimore, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar. Upon his release from prison, Bukowski must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under SORNA.

The former owners of Alnoor Grocery Store and a food stamp recipient pleaded guilty on Wednesday to food stamp fraud, following an investigation ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other agencies.

A Mexican national was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his role as the cell leader of a highly sophisticated and violent fraudulent document trafficking organization.

Taylor Claunch, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Rainey on Sept. 20 to 121 months in federal prison without parole to be followed by 12-years of supervised release. The court also ordered Claunch to comply with additional conditions designed to protect children and the community, to include registering as a sex offender.