News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
On Feb. 26, ICE Enforcement and Removals Operations (ERO) officers arrested Leobardo Saldana Florentino in Pine Plains without incident. ICE officers originally encountered Florentino in March 2019 in Hudson. During that encounter, an individual interfered with the enforcement action against Florentino, causing ICE officers to instead depart the scene in the interest of public safety. Florentino has a June 2018 DUI conviction.
Livio Alexander Valdez Zabala, entered the U.S. March 12 as a nonimmigrant visitor with authorization to remain until Sept. 11. Valdez Zabala, however, failed to depart the U.S. in accordance with the terms of his admission.
Jose Mendoza, 32, and Natalie Mendoza, 35, of Medanales, New Mexico; Ryan Rodriguez, 27, of Chamita, New Mexico; Andrea Rodriguez, 28, and Edvardo Carlson, 39, of Española, New Mexico; and Bridget Archuleta, 31, of San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, appeared in federal court Friday for arraignment on an indictment charging them with various drug trafficking offenses involving crack cocaine (cocaine base) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, from Oct. 2, 2019, to Feb. 25, 2020.
ICE uses statutorily-established subpoenas to obtain information as part of investigations regarding potentially removable aliens. Historically, ICE has not needed to use its subpoena authority to obtain information from other law enforcement agencies as most law enforcement agencies throughout the country willingly exchange information with ICE regarding aliens arrested for crimes in the interest of public safety and law enforcement.
A Hungarian national, who has pending charges for sex trafficking and previous sex convictions was arrested last week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) during ongoing enforcement efforts in New York City and the surrounding region, targeting at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and other immigration violators.
On Feb. 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed Thai national Apichart Srivaranon, 35, to Thailand.
O’Neill Ventures, Inc., a tomato greenhouse and packing plant in O’Neill, Nebraska, entered a felony guilty plea in federal court to conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens. The plea was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl R. Zwart.
IMAGE is a nationwide program that assists employers, strengthens hiring practices and curtails the employment of unauthorized workers through outreach, education and partnership.
Cleveland James McKinney, 30, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison Tuesday, followed by five years of supervised release, for illegally transporting 41.97 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine and 4.5 kilograms of heroin that had been smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
Katrina (Katie) Lynn Danforth, 32, of Post Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 120 months in federal prison for use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder for hire.
Ingrid Corzo-Armas, 49, who had previously been convicted and served a state prison sentence in California on kidnapping and murder charges, was charged with one-count of illegal reentry by the Office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling.
Seth Anthony Johnson, 35, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 60 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography, and sexual exploitation of minor after a prior conviction for a felony sex offense, HSI Seattle acting SAC Eben Roberts and U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
ICE's HSI special agents seized nearly 127,000 counterfeit items, retailing at more than $2.5 million dollars, during a six-day enforcement action leading up to the NBA All-Star Game.
The charge stems from a bribery investigation involving Benito Barrientes, 42, from Lyford; Exy Adelaida Gomez, 42, from Los Fresnos; and Damian Ortiz, 30, and her brother and McAllen attorney Roel Alanis, 39, both from Weslaco. They were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in relation to obtaining alien detainee roster lists.
Under Oregon’s sanctuary laws, county and law enforcement officials are prohibited from providing ICE with non-public information about criminal aliens necessary for federal law enforcement, including the release dates of those criminal aliens from local jails. In addition, Oregon law enforcement does not honor immigration detainers due to Oregon court rulings.
David Hernandez Colula, 34, was pronounced dead at 1:49 a.m. local time by medical professionals at Mercy Health-St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he was transported after facility staff found him unresponsive in his cell. Efforts by facility staff and emergency personnel to revive him were unsuccessful. The preliminary cause of death appears to be self-inflicted strangulation; however, the case is currently under investigation.
Paul Marshall Bodner, 64, a former substitute teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District, was arrested by ICE's HSI Agents Feb. 13, on charges related to sex tourism in Vietnam.
Daniel Peggs, 32, of Altoona, Wisconsin, was indicted Feb. 12 by a federal grand jury. The indictment, unsealed after his arrest, alleges he recruited a minor to engage in a commercial sex act, and caused the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography using a cell phone.