News Releases and Statements

On March 3, ERO Newark arrested a citizen and national of Brazil in Newark who was subject to a foreign arrest warrant and is wanted in Brazil to serve 15 years and six months in prison for murder.

Officers with ERO Boston arrested a Brazilian national with an international arrest warrant in Burlington on Feb. 17. The fugitive had been convicted of document fraud and sentenced to two years in prison in Brazil.

Officers with ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team in Hartford, Connecticut, arrested a 38-year-old unlawfully present Ecuadorian woman wanted on charges of fraud and embezzlement in Ecuador. Officials arrested her in New Britain, Connecticut, on Feb. 27.

A charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit flew Rolando Eduardo Ballagan, 38, from Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria, Louisiana, to Jose Joaquin Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. ERO turned Ballagan over to authorities there.

Ronald Alexander Rodriguez Fuentes and an ERO removal team departed from Harrisburg International Airport in Harrisburg via ICE Air, arriving at the Ramon Villeda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Feb. 24. Upon arrival in Honduras, ERO turned Rodriguez over to the proper authorities.

ICE has reviewed all BI invoices and is unaware of any inaccuracies. Contracting staff are held to the highest standards and remain committed to ensuring accuracy and continuing to act as stewards of the taxpayer dollar.

Consistent with the ICE protocols, the appropriate components have been notified about the death, including DHS's OIG, and ICE OPR.

On Feb. 21, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Jessica Alvarado, 31, from San Juan. She was originally charged by criminal complaint for smuggling goods from the United States and possessing approximately 499 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Francisco Javier Quintanilla-Alcocer, a 38-year-old Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty March 3. Brandon Cibriano-Gonzalez, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen, and Orlando Andres Garcia, 23, Mission, Texas, had previously admitted their guilt in relation to the scheme.

Fifteen agents from HSI’s Frederick office joined the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, the Frederick Police Department and the Maryland State Police to search for Limber Jocimar Lopez-Funez, 15, of Frederick, who was last seen on the evening of Feb. 24 near Alban Court in Frederick, along the Golden Mile.

A judge sentenced Luis Carlos Martinez-Chacon, 35, of Chihuahua, Mexico, to two years in prison and one year of supervised release on Feb. 22.

Officials flew Song Guo Zheng, 60, from Detroit International Airport to Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Feb. 17, 2023, where they turned him over to local authorities.

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.