News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
Kevin Durazo, 23, of Douglas, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting making false statements in connection with acquisition of a firearm and one count of making false statements in connection with acquisition of a firearm.
Authorities turned over Cesar Giovanny Palomino-Espino, 24, to Mexican authorities at the international boundary at the Stanton Street Bridge in downtown El Paso.
Eduardo Javier Gomez, 32, and Margarita Alvarez, 40, a former couple from Edinburg, pleaded guilty in federal court to benefiting from forced labor following an HSI investigation.
Adan Gomez-Lopez, 26, of Nogales, Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the United States.
A charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit transported Gabor Vadasz, a 22-year-old unlawfully present Hungarian national, from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary. Upon arrival, officials handed him over to Hungarian law enforcement authorities.
Officials extradited Henrri Jamioy-Quistial, 49, to the United States in October 2002 for participating in the hostage taking of five U.S. citizens in Ecuador. A court convicted him of his crimes in September 2006.
A federal grand jury in Springfield charged Harold Lloyd Blair Jr., 66, in a three-count superseding indictment.
Fugitive Operations Team officers with ERO Boston arrested Lenaria Aparecida Pereira Sandoval, 29, a Brazilian national convicted of first-degree murder and related offenses by a Brazilian criminal court, in Quincy on Feb. 27.
A judge in the Southern District of Texas convicted Edgar Botello, 30, of conspiracy to sex trafficking; sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion; and possession of child pornography.
Luis Flores-Reyes, 42, of Arlington, Virginia, received his sentence Feb. 22 and Jairo Jacome, 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, received his sentence Feb. 23.
A joint investigation involving HSI Norfolk, the ATF, the Virginia State Police and the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office led to an 81-month prison sentence for Ronald Devon Matthews, 36, of Isle of Wight, Virginia.
In September 2019, a criminal court in the Brazilian city of Itambacuri convicted the man of financial fraud and sentenced him to serve a three-year, four-month prison sentence. Following his conviction in Brazil, officials discovered that he subsequently entered the United States unlawfully.
According to court documents, the HSI investigation of Justin Richard Mezera, 34, began after someone filed a tip online saying the man used his Kik account to have child pornography related discussions.
ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO Tegucigalpa and the SAFE Task Force, removed Rufino Garza Monroy, a twice-deported foreign fugitive from the United States on Feb. 24. Garza is wanted in Honduras for homicide.
ERO Newark arrested a Brazilian fugitive wanted in Brazil for drug trafficking in Newark on Feb. 15.
Elvis Alexis Molina Enriquez, 31, is wanted in Mexico for charges related to aggravated willful bodily harm, domestic violence and femicide.
On Feb. 22, Mexican authorities located Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, aka Vampiro de Monserrat Criminales; Walter Yovani Hernandez-Rivera, aka Baxter de Park View and Bastard de Park View; and Marlon Antonio Menjivar-Portillo, aka Rojo de Park View, and expelled them from Mexico via the United States.
Christian Patricio Palacios-Vega, 39, who had a final order of removal to Ecuador, was removed via ICE's Air Operations. ERO officers turned him over to law enforcement authorities upon arrival at the airport in Guayaquil.
Recording artist Robert Sylvester Kelly, also known as R. Kelly, was sentenced by United States District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber to 20 years in federal prison, 19 of them concurrent with the 30-year sentence previously imposed in the Eastern District of New York Feb. 23.
Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 29, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm on June 9, 2022. Sentencing is scheduled for May 4 before United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps.
According to court documents, Jose Miguel Sandoval-Pineda aka “Primo,” aka “Chavalon,” 22, of Michoacan, Mexico, was the leader, organizer and recruiter for a criminal organization heavily involved in human smuggling, firearms trafficking, and narcotics trafficking in the San Antonio area in 2019 and early 2020.
Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, 51, and Prince Amos Okey Ezemma, 49, of Madrid, Spain; and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, Emmanuel Samuel, 39, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, of London, face federal charges in Miami.
Cesar Alejandro Avendano-Soto, 21, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury.
Each year, HSI Kansas City presents the partnership award to a group that fosters and facilitates cooperation between agencies. Such duties include successful negotiations and agreements with interagency partners; development of interagency programs and initiatives that enhance homeland security efforts; providing manpower, technical advice, assisting and training interagency partners; and supporting joint law enforcement initiatives to enhance homeland security efforts.
The foreign fugitive is wanted on an active criminal warrant for the charge of aggravated homicide in Brazil. A criminal court in Governador Valadares, a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, issued the warrant. If convicted of the charge, this individual could face up to 30 years in prison.
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