News Releases and Statements

A federal grand jury has returned indictments charging two gambling businesses and three defendants with conducting an illegal gambling business and money laundering. 11 bank accounts and domain names associated with 10 Internet gambling sites were also seized today. The indictments are the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE.

Robert William Hull, 35, of Nampa, Idaho, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children in March. At his court hearing, he was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following his release from prison and pay a $1,500 fine.

The owner and manager of a popular Monterey Park, Calif., video store were arrested Monday morning by agents with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on allegations they illegally imported and sold tens of thousands of Chinese movie DVDs bearing a counterfeit Dolby Digital trademark.

Mark Zivilik, an investigator with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) London Attache Office, worked closely with London's Metropolitan Police Service to track down Malcom McQuillan, a wanted United Kingdom citizen who had escaped to the United States and then evaded police for nearly 20 years.

Aftab Ali Khan, 28, formerly of Watertown, Mass., was accompanied by ICE ERO officers on a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan. Khan had been in federal custody since May 2010 when he, his uncle, and a man in Maine were arrested following the failed attempt to bomb New York's Times Square on May 1, 2010.

Riley Rich Gibson III, 28, also known as "Trae," pleaded guilty May 20 before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark. He appeared before Judge Clark for a scheduled competency hearing. Once he was found competent, he entered a guilty plea.

Greg Squire, a veteran special agent assigned to U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boston was among several law enforcement officials from Massachusetts and North Carolina honored Thursday by Attorney General Eric Holder for their leadership in protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

A Polish national wanted on an INTERPOL warrant for the beating death of a person in his native country was deported from the United States Thursday by officers with U.S. ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Zbigniew Zajac, 37, was removed to Warsaw, Poland from Newark Liberty International Airport.

A Mexican national captured recently in Stanislaus County who is wanted for murder in his native country was turned over to Mexican law enforcement officials at the border south of San Diego Friday morning by officers from U.S. ICE. Jose Ramos Negrete-Arriola, 36, is charged with gunning someone down at a Mother's Day street dance...

Timothy S. Kelly, 40, a former swim coach for the Attleboro YMCA and North Attleboro High School, was sentenced Friday in federal court on child pornography charges, following an investigation conducted jointly with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the North Attleboro Police Department.

Ferney Quinones De La Cruz, 34, of Colombia, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force South, comprised of agents from U.S. ICE...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested two Dominican Republic citizens and seized 56 kilograms of cocaine on Thursday during an operation that resulted in the sinking of the smuggling boat.

U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents seized 880 boxes of illegally imported drug paraphernalia, accessories and counterfeit goods from an Orlando business late Thursday night. Included in the items seized were bongs, pipes and counterfeit trademark items with hidden compartments intended for illegal drug use.

Harjinder Singh Brar, 36, of Lynden, Wash., pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to possess Ecstasy with intent to distribute.

Two individuals will be arraigned in state court Friday following their arrest in Los Angeles on criminal charges stemming from their role in a scheme involving illegal aliens from Asia who traveled to Kern County and used altered Canadian passports and legitimate Social Security numbers to obtain valid California driver's licenses and state ids...

Buddy Anderson pleaded guilty on Thursday to two felony child pornography/obscenity offenses. Persons hired to clean his former apartment on North Clay Street in Ennis, Texas, discovered child pornography photographs on the apartment's porch that were discarded as garbage. Anderson and his wife, Sharon Lee Anderson, had fled to Nevada...

A federal grand jury indicted Kathleen Wurts, 59, of Escondido, Calif., on 17 felony counts for conspiring to defraud individuals who made transactions on websites, including Craigslist and Yahoo. Wurts conspired to defraud individuals who used websites to find employment, buy and sell items, and rent or purchase property.

James E. Johnston, 69, is named in the indictment which stems from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Lee Michael Eckler, 31, of Rockledge, Fla., was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison for enticing a minor via the Internet to engage in sexual acts, following an investigation by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) and U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Recently, representatives from federal law enforcement and public health agencies came together for a two-day conference to discuss how to stop the spread of tuberculosis (TB) among individuals in federal custody.

18 individuals have been arrested for their alleged roles in an international conspiracy trafficking more than 4.4 million grams of khat (leaves that contain the drug cathinone, an addictive stimulant) throughout the United States. 10 were captured in Northern Virginia, two in Maryland, four in New York, and two in Ohio...

Special agents with U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) returned $15,000 to an 80-year-old Berkeley man victimized by Quebec-based telemarketing con artists who persuaded him to send money to pay "taxes" on a sweepstakes prize they claimed he had won.

A Blaine County, Idaho, man who was under federal indictment on felony immigration fraud charges was arrested Wednesday by local law enforcement, following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Americo De La Cruz, 38, of Hailey, Idaho, faces criminal charges of false swearing in an immigration matter...

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging five individuals with operating a multi-state prostitution network in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. The indictment is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The defendants conspired to induce women...