News Releases and Statements

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.

Authorities arrested 48 people for alleged human trafficking, sexual exploitation and other criminal offenses and offered support to 41 people, including eight children. Officials also recovered two firearms, including a ghost gun.

Adolph Scott, 37, of Baltimore, received the lengthy prison sentence Feb. 15 for transporting an individual to engage in prostitution and for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Pedro Thiessen, 70, of Seminole, failed to declare more than $10,000 when entering the United States at the Ysleta Port of Entry in October 2022, according to a criminal complaint against him.

The artifacts included 64 relief carved stone heads, a bronze inscribed bowl, a stone Funerary Stele from around the 1st century BCE, and 11 pages from an 8th century Quran.

ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO El Salvador and the SAFE Task Force, removed Noe David Alvarez Escamilla, a twice-previously deported gang member from the United States on Feb. 17. Alvarez is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and illegal association.

Miguel Polanco, 31, of Union City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

Deportation officers from ERO Washington, D.C. arrested a 28-year-old Salvadoran national wanted in his homeland for robbery on Jan. 25.

The four men arrested in Florida today are Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, 50, a Colombian national and U.S. permanent resident of Miami; Antonio Intriago 59, a Venezuelan American of Miami; Walter Veintemilla, 54, of Weston; and Frederick Bergmann, 64, of Tampa.

HSI unveiled a federal facility yesterday for the EXCOM-South and HSI’s National Academy for Advanced Training and Leadership.

ERO San Francisco officers apprehended 19 unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of drug trafficking or possession offenses involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin during a nationwide enforcement effort Jan. 23 through Feb. 6.

As part of ongoing efforts to combat cyber crimes and online financial fraud, HSI launched an awareness campaign yesterday – Valentine’s Day – to educate the public on dangers associated with online romance scams and how individuals can protect themselves and loved ones.

ERO Miami officers apprehended four unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of drug trafficking or possession offenses involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin during a nationwide enforcement effort Jan. 23 through Feb. 6.

The court sentenced Angel Amed Gomez-Garcia, 43, to 108 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Gomez-Garcia will likely face removal proceedings. Gomez-Garcia pleaded guilty Nov. 9.