ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Nov. 20, 2015

November 20, 2015 – ICE, CBP issue warning ahead of shopping season

Officials from ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are advising shoppers this holiday season to be aware of online scams that would have consumers purchase counterfeit goods instead of genuine products. Full Story

November 17, 2015 – ICE HSI partners with Ball State University and the David Owsley Museum of Art to recover a hidden idol stolen from India

Under the auspices of Operation Hidden Idols, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) cultural property unit were able to determine that this idol had been looted from a temple in Southern India and brought to the United States illegally. HSI formally took custody of the artifact, which is linked to the ongoing investigation. For the past five months, officials at the museum worked hand in hand with HSI to identify the stolen piece. Full Story

November 13, 2015 – UK resident connected to Syrian export scheme extradited to US to face federal charges

A dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Syria was extradited from the U.K. Thursday and was arraigned today for his alleged part in a conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including chemical warfare agent detection equipment, from the United States to Syria. The charges and extradition follow an extensive international probe led by ICE’s HSI. Full Story

November 18, 2015 – Kansas man sentenced to 150 months for distributing child pornography

A central Kansas man, who used the screen name “kansas_dad” in chat rooms, was sentenced Wednesday to 150 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Full Story

November 13, 2015 – North Texas federal jury convicts 2 brothers in visa fraud case

Following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn, a federal jury convicted two brothers of felony visa fraud based on their conspiracy to secure a low-cost workforce at their North Texas information technology consulting company from about March 2005 to February 2011. Full Story