News Releases and Statements

"Pedro Marcos-Marcos, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was sentenced Monday to 240 months in federal prison for overseeing a human smuggling operation that used a ""drop house"" in Lancaster, Calif., where illegal aliens were rescued in 2009 after being held against their will, denied food and physically assaulted."

Gustavo G. Olvera, 38, of Farmers Branch, Texas, pleaded guilty in March to one count of enticing a child, and was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

ICE investigations are often complex, requiring significant examination and analysis. That's when the honed skills of the staff at the agency's Forensic Document Lab (FDL) come into play. Established in 1978, the lab serves as the authority on determining the authenticity of travel and identity documents.

Reginald Estrada and Michael Rose, both of Brooklyn, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine. The case is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Port Authority Police Dept. of New York and New Jersey

Biodun Okunnuo, 39, was arrested Feb. 18 at the Blaine, Wash., Port of Entry after she was refused entry into Canada. At that time, Okunnuo presented a false U.S. passport, which she had obtained by using a stolen identity. Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered an outstanding Florida State warrant for her arrest under the alias used on the fake document.

Two Orlando men were sentenced Friday for conspiracy to import heroin, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Orange County Sheriff's Office, and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.

A former supervisor with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and his son were sentenced Thursday on federal corruption charges to 60 months and 48 months in prison, respectively, following an investigation by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.

Hector Hugo Tovar-Sanchez, a legal permanent resident of the United States from Texas and Mexican native, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle cocaine into the Allentown, Pa., area from Mexico. He was convicted in February 2011 following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Christopher J. Stephani, 41, of Columbia Crossroads, Pa., used a computer to download and distribute more than 800 images and 35 movies of child pornography between 2008 and March 4, 2010.

A Costa Rican national wanted on an International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Red Notice for indecent assault, sexual abuse of a minor and corruption of minors in his native country was deported from the United States Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.

Dougless Perlitz was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for sexually abusing at least eight minor victims over the course of a decade.

Richard Boerckel, 68, was charged after HSI conducted an undercover investigation into the operators and subscribers of websites containing child pornography.

Members of an online network called Dreamboard allegedly traded graphic images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years old and younger.

A Dominican national, who illegally re-entered the United States, was sentenced to three years in jail followed by three years of supervised release for identity theft and falsely representing his citizenship. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Five 'Sur-13'gang members from Georgia were sentenced Monday to lengthy federal prison terms after being arrested for carjacking and firearms offenses by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations.

Two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to charges of conspiring to commit commercial sex trafficking of Mexican women, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Shaoxiong Zhou, 42, and Shaoxia Huang, 33, both of Shantou, Guangdong, China, pleaded guilty to one count each of trafficking in counterfeit goods. Zhou pleaded guilty on Aug. 5, 2011, and Huang pleaded guilty on Aug. 3, 2011

Jesse Osmun, 31, of Milford, Conn., was charged in a federal criminal complaint with traveling from the United States to South Africa to engage in illicit sexual conduct with multiple children.

Scott O. Callahan was sentenced Friday to 17.5 years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The theft of so-called intellectual property - creative expressions like trade secrets, proprietary products and parts, literature, music, and films - comes at a high price.

Rutilio Cabrera-Flores, 30, formerly of New Britain, Conn., was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in jail followed by two years of supervised release for illegally re-entering the United States following his deportation in a case investigated by U.S. ICE's Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Cipriano Diaz-Galiana, a Mexican national with multiple felony convictions and seven previous removals was sentenced in federal court for re-entering the United States after deportation after an investigation conducted by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). At the time of his arrest, he had at his residence, seven firearms...

Four convicted criminal aliens pleaded guilty in federal district court in Atlanta on Wednesday to bribing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employee to alter their reporting requirements and criminal histories.

The agents arrested a pawn shop manager and five employees and seized thousands of rounds of high-capacity firearm magazines.

Subhash Nathani of Noida, India, the last of five defendants involved in smuggling large quantities of ephedrine from India into the United States, was sentenced in federal court on Thursday to 54 months in prison as a result of an investigation by by U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).