ICE Houston office deports Romanian man wanted for fraud
HOUSTON — A Romanian national, who has a U.S. conviction for conspiring to commit wire fraud and is wanted in his home country for fraud, was deported Wednesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston.
Lucian Serban, 41, arrived in Bucharest, Romania, Sept. 16 under ICE escort and was turned over to Romanian authorities.
“Identifying and removing foreign fugitives from the United States is an ICE priority,” said Steven P. Boll, field office director of ERO Houston. “The cooperation between the United States and the government of Romania resulted in this foreign fugitive being safely returned to his home country where he will face justice.”
Serban was arrested March 3, 2014, by special agents with the Diplomatic Security Service for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was ultimately convicted in the Southern District of Texas and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Serban entered ICE custody July 13. Records checks revealed an Interpol notice was issued April 17, 2013, by Romanian authorities for Serban’s arrest for fraud. On July 27, a federal immigration judge ordered Serban to be deported.
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States. Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.
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