News Releases and Statements

Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City Taekuk Cho and United States Attorney Steven Russell announced the sentencing of Jorgen Johannssen, 24, of Fremont, Jan.4, for distributing child pornography following an HSI Kansas City probe.

HSI Kansas City is a global leader in the fight against human trafficking and has an extensive mission to proactively fight against the trafficking of individuals.

Mark Forrest Cohn, 68, of Chandler, Arizona, was sentenced on Dec. 21, 2022, by United States District Judge David G. Campbell; Cohn pleaded guilty to one felony count of Entry of Goods by Means of False Statements.

ERO San Diego deportation officers escorted Giovani Danti Gamarra-Puertas, 63, aboard an ICE Air Operations charter flight to Lima, Peru, where they transferred custody of the foreign fugitive to Peruvian authorities at the Jorge Chavez International Airport, Dec. 29.

The FY 2022 annual report highlights how ICE is helping secure the Southwest Border and rebuilding a humane and orderly immigration system; combatting transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) including disrupting the supply of opioids coming to U.S. communities; improving transparency to stakeholders and the public; and supporting its dedicated, resilient workforce.

Luis Alberto Rojas-Carreno, 34, has convictions in Chile from 2013 for trafficking firearms and munitions and again in 2014 for three counts of trafficking small quantities, making threats to the military police, and for possession or carrying weapons subject to control.

Juan Jose Meija-Ramirez, 42, was wanted for illegal re-entry into the United States.

Jaconias Rosa Pereira, 50, a citizen and national of Brazil, entered the United States without being inspected by an immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location.

Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City Joshua Armstrong and United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Tammie J. Young, 53, of Kearney, Nebraska, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Lincoln.

Alphonso L. Battle, 55, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from Sept. 1, 2012, to April 3, 2017.

In January 2015 and April 2015, the Government of El Salvador issued arrest warrants for Bonilla-Garcia for the first for a charge of illicit association and second for aggravated extortion.

HSI’s TCIUs assist with furthering its global mission, working with foreign partners to investigate and prosecute people involved in transnational criminal activities that threaten the region’s stability and national security and who pose continuing threats to the United States. TCIUs identify targets, collect evidence, share intelligence, and facilitate prosecution in the United States and foreign countries.

HSI Panama, in coordination with the local TCIU, in addition to HSI Operation Expanded Impact Costa Rica and the Government of Costa Rica, executed 20 arrest warrants and 23 search warrants that resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals, the seizure of several vehicles, and the rescue of 77 migrants, Dec. 13. The individuals rescued were from various countries enroute to the United States, including nationals from Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. The arrests included six employees of the migration service for Panama.

HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie Salazar announced Monday, that Christopher James Masterson, 35, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was sentenced to 30 years in the Bureau of Prisons for the sexual exploitation of minor children.

An arrest warrant was issued in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, on May 3, 2021, for Jose Trinidad Montes-Solorio, a citizen of Mexico, for sexual abuse of a minor.

Richard Lee Molinar, 44, of Safford, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 60 months in prison for child exploitation offenses.

According to court documents, on Dec. 4, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Santos Lozano-Martinez, 36, at the Camino Real International Bridge II in Eagle Pass. Investigators discovered a firearm and ammunition during an inspection of Lozano-Martinez’s vehicle.

Three Missouri men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a scheme to transport tens of thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines as part of a multimillion-dollar business following an HSI and law enforcement partner investigation.

Perla Vidalez, 39, was arrested at her Lower Valley home, from where she operated an immigration preparation business. Her clients would supply Vidalez with the required immigration paperwork for submission to USCIS, and even though they didn’t qualify for an application fee waiver, Vidalez is charged with altering the paperwork to show they did qualify for one.

Todd Christopher Roatsey, 43, a former counselor at Pinch Elementary School in Kanawha County received the lengthy sentence Monday for attempted production of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor. Roatsey must also pay $23,000 in restitution to his victims and register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Rosalio Cano Jr., 22, transported an undocumented noncitizen to multiple locations in or around San Antonio over a five-day period. During this time, co-conspirators were in contact with the now-kidnapping victim’s family and repeatedly raised demands for payment.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) announced a new partnership between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) to combat illicit pharmaceutical trade and protect patients from the health and safety threats posed by counterfeit medications, Dec. 19.

Afghani national Tariq Mohammad Intezar, 25, was flown from John F. Kennedy International Airport Sunday and arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, the following day on a flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit.

Paulo Jorge Meneses Pacheco, 37, a citizen of Portugal, entered the United States lawfully in Dec. 2010 but violated the terms of his agreement when he failed to depart in March 2011.

Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office seized 23 separate internet domains Friday for allegedly live streaming World Cup matches, an infringement of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) copyrights. Individuals visiting the sites will now see a message that the site has been seized by the federal government and be redirected to another site for additional information.