News Releases and Statements

Jonathan Zahra, 27, of Plainville, was sentenced in a case investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Plainville Police Department. After his prison term he will also serve 10 years of supervised release.

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging a 31-year-old Ashford man with receiving and possessing child pornography. Richard Hendricks, a former computer teacher at East Hampton Middle School, was investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, and the East Hampton Police Department.

More than 2,000 items of counterfeit Major League Baseball (MLB) clothing seized by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in San Francisco during last year's baseball playoffs will soon be on their way to the needy in Haiti.

About 531 kilograms (1168 pounds) of cocaine with a street value of $16 million was seized from a St. Thomas residence on Monday by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department (USVIPD). In addition to the cocaine, ICE HSI special agents and USVIPD officers also seized two automatic pistols.

Two men, who tripped a sensor on the U.S.-Canada border on Dec. 15, 2010 and were later found to be carrying more than $650,000 in U.S. and Canadian currency, were sentenced in federal court following their bulk-cash smuggling guilty pleas. This case was investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Four men convicted of taking 10 aliens hostage, including one man who accidently shot himself, were sentenced on Monday to 11 to 20 years in prison for threatening their hostages. The investigation was conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) with the assistance of Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office.

Kevin Kaller Wright, 44, of Santa Monica, Calif., received the 84-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow.

On Saturday, 132 kilograms (290 pounds) of cocaine with a street value of $11 million was seized from concealed inside a dump truck in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, by agents and officers from the following agencies: U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).

Edwin Rodriguez was arrested on Wednesday charged with sexually abusing a woman who was detained at the Willacy Detention Center (WDC), an ICE-contracted detention facility in Raymondville, Texas. The case was investigated by U.S. ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in Harlingen, Texas.

Matthew Andrew Carter, operator of Morning Star Center, a residential facility located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that provided food and shelter to minors, was charged Thursday with sexually abusing minors in Haiti.

Travis Hunter Blank was found guilty on June 22 of transporting and possessing child pornography following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Richard Schell.

Christopher Blackwell, 32, of Colleyville, Texas, was arrested in Phoenix, Ariz., earlier this month on a charge outlined in a related federal complaint filed in the NDTX. Blackwell remains in custody; a date has not yet been set for his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth.

"U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested five Puerto Rican men on Wednesday for producing child pornography by making a female minor, identified by the initials ""KMV,"" lasciviously perform sexual acts which the men recorded on a digital still camera and a video camera."

Assistant U. S. Attorney B. Stephanie Siegmann, who has a well-earned reputation for successfully prosecuting cases investigated by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boston, received top honors Wednesday for her outstanding professional achievements as a leading member of the U.S. Attorney's Office for District of Massachusetts.

Seven individuals and five corporate entities based in the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Iran have been indicted in the state of Georgia for their alleged roles with illegally exporting military components for fighter jets and attack helicopters from the United States to Iran.

Robert A. Howard Jr., 41, of Merritt Island, Fla., was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release, after he's released from prison.

Cameron Jackson, 32, is charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin. In December 2010, a search warrant was served at his residence, resulting in the seizure of drug paraphernalia, illegal drugs and drug proceeds.

Jeffery Louis Cribb, 51, was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. A forensic analysis of his seized computer revealed 1,065 child pornography images and 325 videos. The investigation was jointly conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Beaumont Police Department (BPD).

Recently, two U.S. ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents were recognized for their work towards catching child predators at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC.

"Citing the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, and community leaders, to form the ""Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force"" (PRCACTF). "

Michael J. Marceau, 43, of Aloha, Ore., appeared in court June 21 before Senior U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty. In addition to the lengthy jail term, Marceau will also be subject to a life term of supervised release following his incarceration. As part of his supervised release, Marceau will be subject to stringent conditions, including limitations on where he can reside, on his association with minors, and on his use of computers.

Nathan Mickelson was arrested without incident at a residence in Lewis Center, Ohio. According to court documents in the case, Mickelson admitted he had downloaded child pornography from the Internet using peer-to-peer file-sharing websites.

ICE on Tuesday began using a federal information-sharing capability as part of the Secure Communities program in Bay, Lapeer, Midland and Saginaw counties.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday began using a federal information-sharing capability as part of the Secure Communities program in Coffee, Dougherty, Grady and Jeff Davis counties.

A Brazilian national, who was wanted by law enforcement authorities in his native country for counterfeiting money, was deported on Monday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).